Best magazines for your money
Posted: Thursday, August 07, 2008 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:
Pop culture
I used to be embarrassed by the sheer number of magazines I subscribed to. I imagined the mailman trudging up to my door weighed down with a giant bundle, swearing under his breath about the lunatic who lived there. He probably envisioned me as an unemployed, immobile hermit, because who else would have all that time to read? (At least I wasn't a RICH, unemployed, immobile hermit, because I bought most of my subscriptions on eBay, where a smart bargain-hunter can get multi-year subscriptions on the cheap. Now if only they'd offer deals on The Economist.)
Since we've added baby Kelly to our household last October, I've let a lot of my subscriptions lapse. Now that she's sleeping longer, I'm starting to pick up some of my old favorites again. But my reading time is at a premium, and I'm not about to waste it on magazines that say the same thing every month, or that are just jam-packed full of ads (yes, I know some magazines are all about the ads, i.e. Vogue and Bride's).
Here are just a few of the magazines I get now (for more, check out the Chicago Tribune's list of its 50 favorite mags):
Sports Illustrated
Honestly, you don't have to be an enormous sports fan to love this weekly magazine. Their recent article about the Fugees Family, a soccer team consisting of refugee boys who'd known horrible war and deprivation and found love and comfort on the field, may be the most inspiring piece of literature I've read all year.
Entertainment Weekly |
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Entertainment Weekly
A must-read for my job. No one covers TV and movies better, but I also appreciate that I can regularly turn to the DVD and Books sections for faithful coverage of two areas that are often lacking in other publications. I love Diablo Cody's column, and EW just stole TV Scoopmeister Michael Ausiello from TV Guide.
Real Simple
I admire Martha Stewart's eight-page wedding cake recipes as much as the next person, but Real Simple feels like it's aimed at women I know. And it doesn't revolve around celebrities or children, and even though I'm a mom now, I appreciate that.
Cooks Illustrated
These cooks are hard-core: They'll make a recipe dozens of times just to see what happens if you leave one ingredient out, or bake it at a higher temperature. And Christopher Kimball's editor's letter never fails to transport me to his cozy life in Vermont. No matter what month it is, I always picture it looking like a Currier and Ives painting.
Texas Monthly
I am not from Texas. I have never lived in Texas. Yet I love the state's swaggering pop culture, from cowboys to barbecue joints to honkytonks. This magazine gets it, playing up the charm without relying on the old cliches. Every issue makes me want to plan my next trip to the Lone Star state.
Discuss your own magazine habits in the comments.
