I'm Sorry, Who?

Name five actors or actresses. I'll wait.




...





Time's up. So who'd you come up with? Did George Clooney, Gerard Butler, Orlando Bloom, Angelina Jolie, or Jennifer Aniston make your list? Most likely they did, and even if not, the people who did are big names too.

But what about the "others"? I don't mean in any kind of sci-fi way. I mean, what about the actors and actresses who get nothing but supporting roles as the quirky best friend or the asshole boyfriend and yet are still exceptional actors?

Take for example Judy Greer (pictured at left). She's performed in a number of top movies like 13 going on 30, 27 dresses, The Wedding Planner, and What Women Want, as well as a number of guest spots on TV, but if I were to drop her name in a conversation about actors, I would probably be accosted with a response such as "Oh, I think you mean Judy Blume."







Another good example of an overlooked talent is Emily Blunt. She's probably most known for her role as the snarky and starving secretary in The Devil Wears Prada, but she has also been featured in Sunshine Cleaning, The Jane Austen Book Club, and Dan in Real Life. Now, she is rising up in the world. In 2009, Blunt played the title role in The Young Victoria. She also recently married my true love, John Krasinski (don't think I've gotten over that yet). But this young talent's career is only just beginning.




And my last example, though there are so many of them (including guys - sorry, didn't mean to exclude the guys) is Sasha Alexander. She played Kate on NCIS which I think was her first big role before landing some minor roles in Yes Man and He's Just Not That Into You. Now she's on the apparently hit new series Rizzoli and Isles. I don't know about it. I haven't seen it or anything but it sounds like a pasta dish to me. Ohh, pasta.

Judging a Book by Its Cover

I'm quite familiar, as is the rest of literate and illiterate humanity with the adage "Don't judge a book by its cover." However, when actually talking about books, this might not be the rule to follow. Think about it: if the typeface is ugly and illegible and the illustration is bad or nonexistent, then most likely, the book won't sell. But if the title is witty and eye-catching, the illustration vibrant, and the overall cover concept innovative, it's going to sell in a fashion similar to hotcakes (apparently they are quite the bestseller).

Personally, I only buy pretty books. When I'm in B&N, I get tired of reading the book summaries on the back covers and the authors' blurbs, so sometimes I find the prettiest book with the coolest or most meaningful title (to me) and I buy it. And most of the time this method proves very effective. I bought my favorite book, The Devil in the Details, this way (cover art here).

So, when I found bookcoverarchive.com I was so overwhelmed, and so was my Amazon shopping cart. This website features some of the most gorgeous and some of the weirdest book covers I've ever seen, but all of them are unique. To save you some time, though you should absolutely check it out for yourself, I've picked a couple of my favorites.

A Really Beautiful Take on a Classic



I'm fascinated; it's a contents page as a cover page. Mind-blowing.



I am so reading this book.



I adore Elie Wiesel and vintage photos so I would totally pick this book up.


There are no words. Well, clearly there are because it's a cover to a book, but you get the point.

Trust Me: I'm An Expert

I'm a chick flick connoisseur. I'm a rom-com movie maven. I'm that girl. And I figured I'd make a list of my favorites. Keep in mind, that these are my favorites, and while I do have very discerning tastes when it comes to a girl meets boy type of scenario, you don't have to agree with me. It's likely you won't, considering how contentious we hopeless romantics can be about our movies. Nevertheless...

1. Garden State
2. While You Were Sleeping
3. Sense and Sensibility
4. Return to Me
5. The Proposal
6. Ever After

Now, while most of the recent attempts at romantic comedies have been wanting at best, these are classics. If you haven't seen them yet, you have to at least once. And if you don't like them, don't complain about it to me.