(Factory magazine bin from French by Design )
Word around town is that print is dead. Kindle, iPad and general internet publications (blogs included, I suppose) have taken away the demand for print material. But I still read books... physical, smell the pages, flip the pages, stick a bookmark in it/ dog ear the pages kind of books. I also love magazines. I tear out images that inspire me and stick them in an ever growing volume of research and visual journals. It's just not as exciting to print something out from online. I like the tearing sound, the feel of the magazine paper. It's coming from a different world, and I'm partial to that world.I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to magazines. Granted, I like hanging out in waiting rooms so I can read magazines that I never would at home (People...guilty pleasure, yes. But I end up with a serious headache after flipping through it. Who the hell are these people? Am I missing out on a whole new celebrity culture because I don't keep up with reality shows?), but these particular ones below are the kind of publications that instantly elevate my mood, expand my brain inspiration-wise or make me feel smarter, or all of the above.
Here are my top five magazines:
1. The New Yorker. As my friend says, this magazine makes you feel like you're doing homework. It's kind of like that sometimes. But I like the well written articles and the always diverse subject matter. It lets me keep tabs on the many layers of the world. And if I can effectively absorb the information I just read, then yeah, I'll feel a hint of the smarts afterward. Also, I get to say, "I just read this great article in The New Yorker..." and run the risk of sounding way too pretentious. But it's worth it.
2. Lula. This is a wonderful and visually stunning magazine out of the UK. If there's one magazine that can express my overall aesthetic and stylistic loves, it's Lula. Thick, heavy and full of waves of loveliness and sweetness, I move through the pages while sipping on hot cocoa, tea or a coffee, in a cozy chair with the dog at my feet. Perfect.
3. Mental Floss. A great mix of wit and humor and trivia. Like The New Yorker, but dumbed down for the likes of me. Always entertaining and with an easy dose of intellect. I like.
4. Anthology. This one is brand new and I hope hope hope it'll hold the drive and paying readership to continue on. I'm pleased with their fun detail oriented visual approach and their cool illustrations and story lines. Already a favorite... fingers crossed for more of this goodness.
5. The Believer. At times baffling, bizarre and intriguing, this magazine has the best articles and columns on great books, music, and a totally random assortment of interviews with and by a whole slew of authors and actors and artists and on and on. I love the feel of this magazine. The illustrations, the touch of the matte paper, the pockets of information handed to you in the most surreal and compelling ways. It can also be in your face straight forward. I love it all.
I'm also a sucker for really great decor magazines, but it's pick and choose from month to month, really.
And in honor of the dearly departed...
*Home Companion. Shut it. This was a guilty pleasure at its finest. Mad props to Brian and Jen on this one.
*Sassy. But really just the first few years of it... maybe circa 1988- 1992 (my high school years... ah the nostalgia of racing home to devour every single word of it. Yum Yum.)
How about you? What would you add to this list?
