OT: Recommendations solicited

Hi, readers:

I’d like to ask you for recommendations of things you have enjoyed watching on DVD (tv, film, documentary) that you think my mother might like to watch or books you think she might enjoy reading.

As I’ve said before, Mrs. Servetus quite closely resembles Mrs. Thornton, except that she’s more devout.

My mother is 71, grew up in rural Wisconsin, and has lived only briefly elsewhere while my father was in the army. She has a high school diploma and has been married since she was 19. She worked until I was born, then was an SAHM until my brother was in his mid-20s, after which she took an office job. She currently is administrative assistant to the IT section of the company she works with and supports about 50 people. She likes volunteer work, crossword puzzles, crafts of all kinds, especially crocheting, picture puzzles with more than a thousand pieces, traditional hymns, sermons, romance novels without explicit anything, and mysteries or suspense books that are not very suspenseful. She also enjoys popular histories of events she has lived through and memoirs of public figures. Her political opinions are centrist GOP. She likes positive stories that include a message of redemption or self-improvement. DVD suggestions should not require subtitles, which for her includes British accents of any kind. Movies should not glorify non-traditional moralities or sexual practices; infidelity and / or extra-marital sex should be limited or take place only off-screen. Some violence is okay if the violence is committed in the pursuit of a worthy goal, as in a war story, but not heavy violence.

So basically I’m looking for book and DVD recommendations that involve traditional morality, happy endings, little suspense, no more than a medium amount of violence, no on-screen sex, and American actors speaking American standard English. And preferably available from the public library.

“Recent” movies I can think of that she has liked included My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Cars, The Blind Side, While You Were Sleeping, Toy Story, and Invictus. Older movies she likes include The Ten Commandments and Witness. She thinks Michael Douglas is sexy and has permission from my dad to cheat on him for one night only should Michael ever make her an offer.

Any and all recommendations that you think might fit some of these categories are gratefully accepted. Thanks in advance for your help.

~ by Servetus on June 21, 2012.