Recommendations for good movies:

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Beautiful, spooky, fun, and imaginative.  Tim Burton is the master of making the macabre seem light-hearted and amusing, and presenting the perspectives of the misunderstood.

2. Gran Torino.  Touching, sincere, and humanistic.  This is Clint Eastwood's best, in my opinion.    

3. Howl's Moving Castle.  An animated movie from Miyazaki.  The characters Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer are the most memorable in almost any movie I've seen.

Recommendations for good books:

1. Flowers for Algernon. Touching and thought-provoking.  This book lingers in your mind long after you finish reading.

2. Timeline. An exciting and suspenseful action and adventure novel.

3. Great Expectations. This book is a testament to why Charles Dickens is considered the best writer in the English language. The book will leave you sympathizing with all the characters:  from Pip, the protagonist to Mr. Jaggory, the overbearing lawyer, and from cold-hearted Estella to scheming Ms. Havisham.