"The Wit and Wisdom of Downton Abbey" - Jessica Fellowes

Yes, I'm part of that fandom. And you want to know why? You really don't but anyway, it's because they put a lot of stock in the dialog. It's a sharp, witty, full script. None of this blow up a car, jump into bed, say "it's complicated" in order to get out of writing a scene. Downton Abbey relies on it's script, rather than merely requiring one.

It's the thought-provoking lines from Matthew, the eye-opening ideas of Brandon, the insults of Mary, the truth of Mrs. Hughes, the love of Mr. Bates, the ever classic (let's be honest, our favorite) retorts of Lady Grantham. Enjoy trying to remember where in the show these lines come from!

Lady Grantham: "It's like living in a second-rate hotel where the guests keep arriving and no one seems to leave." -pg. 111

Read Also:

It may be a little difficult to find, but Allan Gould's Anne of Green Gables vs. G.I. Joe: friendly fire between Canada and the U.S. was hysterical!

The Bro Code by Matt Kuhn (supposedly by Barney Stinson) is full of great one-liners of Barney in "How I Met Your Mother."

And...yeah, Dave Barry.

"Independent Study" - Joelle Charbonneau

Okay. So... This author knows how to write! Engaging. Plausible (to a certain extent). Proper cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. Honest! I had to stop mid-chapter because I knew I wouldn't stop at the end. A real study in government, societies, people, communication, and all through the eyes of young adult girl, Malencia.

It's like a Civics lesson cleverly disguised as a novel for teens.

Also, Charbonneau manages to avoid the problem of first-person novels -the reader remaining ignorant- by having the character actually go out in search of answers. Malencia is rather superhuman in her memory and reasoning skills; but you forgive that in order to know what is going on.

Book 2 in "The Testing" trilogy, this book escapes the pitfalls of many trilogies. It is not book 1 again. It is not a filler book, situations progress and you can't skip it.

Malencia has now entered the University in her respective field of study. She meets her classmates, her country's leaders, and learns of a rebellion. There's another boy-interest (it is a YA novel).

Read Also:

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins of course. All these "test" trilogies came out after its success.

The Legend series by Marie Lu. (Have not read but is on the "To Read" list).

Eh, any dystopian Young Adult trilogy out there.

And because I haven't said enough about this book, Thomas Paine's Common Sense.

"Nugget & Fang" - Michael Slack

Nugget, a minnow, and Fang, a shark, are friends, glubbing everywhere together. Until Fang goes to school where he is taught that sharks are dangerous. Unfortunately, Nugget begins to believe the "propaganda." Only when Fang rescues the minnows from a fishing net are they set straight on who (or what) is dangerous.

A nice story on not believing everything you're told just because "everybody knows it."

Read Also:

Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Friends have fun together, but play is dampened by Crabby.

I'm a Shark by Bob Shea. The shark is very intent on the ocean knowing he's not afraid of anything.

"Finding Nemo" by Disney. Who doesn't love a shark with a mantra?

"Traitor" - Sandra Grey

I love me my Christian romance! I'm a little weirded out by Mormon romance...

Marie is a Mormon Allied spy in France. Rolf is a Mormon Nazi major. They cross paths, and through the guidance of the Holy Ghost, they manage to make it through the war.

I just realized how dull this book sounds. But it's really not! I was surprised by how interesting it was. (If her research was done right,) the details of how Mormons lived in Nazi Germany were fascinating. I also think her side characters bumped the plot up. How contemporaries reacted to Mormons is not often discussed in your average WWII story.

[Heads up: it's a trilogy.]

Read Also:

Hadassah: one night with the king by Tommy Tenney is a WONDERFUL(!!!) novel about Esther, a religious girl placed among non-Jews. I like these books for the understanding that develops on both sides.

If you'd like to commit to a huge endeavor: The House of Winslow series by Gilbert Morris follows a family through the history of America. A highly religious family, each member must gain their own faith while living through historical eras.

Romeo and Juliet comes to mind...