Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts (Author) http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Books/Founding_mothers_excerpt_040415-1.html
I can see my mom's reaction... "Oh look, a history book... how nice" as she thinks "God I raised a geek of a son..."
All I can say is, you'd be suprised what your mother will read and enjoy. I never thought my mom liked this stuff for years. But one day someone gave her that Thomas Jefferson book and she never stopped. Women love to read.
I got my mother <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0609607820/002-6552559-6448029?v=glance">The Gallery of Regrettable Food</a>. She loves <a href="http://lileks.com/institute/gallery/spec.html">the author's website</a>, and I suspect this is a riot!
When I was 8 years old, I went to Sage (remember that store, off 610 and Beechnut?) and bought my Mom a pair of $1 earrings that were shaped like a bunch of grapes. They were hideous looking. My Dad took my Mom out later that day and I insisted she wear the earrings. A few years later my Dad told me she did a quick earring change once they pulled out of the driveway. Bastiges!!