They say to never judge a book by its cover, but come on, haven’t we all done it? Be it a book, movie or album, I think at some point we have all made predeterminations.

Sometimes, well most of the time, it doesn’t turn out too great, but other times a poor looker can end up one of your favorites. I’m here to tell you about my fortunate mishaps.

I am a sucker for books. I can’t walk into a used bookstore without picking up a book, it doesn’t matter what it is. I love to read but don’t always have time for it. I have approximately 50 or so unread books at home just from my expensive habit.

There is one book in particular, though, that has made it off the shelf. I originally picked up “The Last Summer (of You and Me)” by Ann Brashares because the title caught my attention. It’s such a great book because it allows your imagination to wander. It takes place on a small island outside of New York, where a small town is located. It tells the story of two sisters and the hardships and cherished memories they share growing up in this small town on an island. It’s come to be one of my favorite books and I’ll recommend it to anyone.

Books aren’t the only medium I tend to do this with, though. I’ve also bought several movies based on their covers as well. My favorite thing to do is find Blockbuster stores that are going out of business and swoop in to get great deals on a bunch of movies and television shows.

My favorite movie from my collection would have to be “Philadelphia.” I’m kind of biased toward this film because it brought together two of my favorite people in the entertainment industry.

The movie stars Tom Hanks, one of my favorite actors, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor.

It also features “Streets of Philadelphia,” a song Bruce Springsteen composed for the film that ended up winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In this movie, Hanks plays Andrew Beckett who works for one of the largest law firms in Philadelphia. Beckett lives a homosexual lifestyle he keeps separate from his job. However, suspicion arises when Beckett is diagnosed with AIDS and he slips up on his work. His bosses aren’t clear as to why they are firing him and it leads some to believe they fired Beckett because of his homosexuality. Beckett takes the case to court where you get to hear his story.

Another one of my favorite things to do is visit used record stores and buy albums based purely on their album artwork or the name of the band. Finding record stores today that sell records for a cheap price, usually no more than $5, is a pretty easy feat.

One band I came across had such an interesting name I couldn’t pass up it up.

The Big Pink is a group based out of London and currently has two albums.

The name of the band originally drew me in because it is a play off of one of my favorite albums.

Released in 1968, Bob Dylan’s backup band, known as The Band, split from the singer and released their debut album “Big Pink.” The members of The Band recorded part of the album in a pink house in West Saugerties, N.Y., hence the title of the album.

The band, The Big Pink, had a lot to live up to, but it did a decent job of doing so.

It’s not the best piece of work I’ve ever listened to but I’d urge anyone to check it out.

Judging something by how it looks on the surface is may not be a great idea, but sometimes it might just work in your favor.

Savannah Sawyer, Assistant Features Editor