Magazines and Me

I don’t think I have ever written about the magazines I read regularly. So, what follows is a list of magazines I currently subscribe to, or ones which I subscribed to in the past, with some thoughts on each. Enjoy! (I’d also love to hear about what you “take” magazine-wise in your home in the comments!)

The New Yorker - I think about everyone in the states knows the New Yorker. It, and Atlantic Monthly are about the apex or magazine publishing in the states. The quality and variety of writing of this great publication are peerless (I think) and provide interesting insights into both well and lesser known subjects. It arrives weekly in the mailbox, and as such is a challenging magazine to keep up with it - and keeping up with it is very important, as if you don’t stay current, it your backlog becomes so heavy that it’s almost impossible to get caught up. Upon receipt, I usually go cover to cover and dog-ear stories I want to read, as well as funny cartoons to share with Jen. Some weeks, I read it nearly cover to cover, and other weeks there are only a couple of items of interest to me. The famous Heather Powazek describes how she reads this periodical in this article, and it’s worth a read:

How to Read The New Yorker in 10 Easy Steps

Dwell - To be honest, Dwell is Jen’s subscription, but I end up reading it almost over to cover. We mark articles that have information in them that we like, keeping in mind we will be homeowners some day. I love the developing trends in sustainability, recycling of materials in homes, and the general trends in design (hi, modern mid-century).

Good - This is a very interesting and challenging periodical which arrives quarterly. First, all proceeds from the magazine go to charity, and all the articles in it are (subjectively) about how to make the world a better place. Very inspiring stuff, as well as tips on how to do smaller things in your own home or community.

American Libraries - Of course I get this! As a member of the American Library Association, I receive this publication monthly, which is a re-hashing (pretty much) of the American Libraries Direct email that finds its way to my inbox every Wednesday evening. I usually review this to make sure I haven’t missed anything, and find a couple of good “gems” in it.

Roundel - This is the magazine of the BMW Car Club of America and it arrives monthly. For a club publication, it is very nice. I love reading the opinions, especially those of original CCA member Joseph Chamberlain about how (in the words of Bob Dylan) the times, they are a-changin’. I also love their in depth articles about new models, and the classifieds are always fun to look at.

Monocle - I once subscribed to this magazine, which is a paragon of beautiful photography and print design. However, at about 140 dollars for 12 issues, I had to give it up. The writing was just not that good, and seemed to rest on the photography and design of the publication. Really, though, if you don’t have good (and interesting) content, then why pay so much money? If it was reasonably priced I might reconsider.

Texas Monthly - I had a subscription to this great magazine for about a year, and then it just stopped. No idea what happened to it. However, it is filled with great articles (and, to my chagrin, more and more and more and more ads) about all things Texas. Great read, with some excellent journalism, writing, and opinions.

What do you read?

PS - Check out my new online CV:

www.jasonwdean.com