How I'm Saving the Magazine Industry

With apologies to my mailman, I’m doing my part to support the publishing industry. Specifically, the magazine arm of the publishing industry. Which is why, this morning, MailGuy is having to nurse his aching back as he climbs out of bed.

I could say it all started with Oprah, as so much in pop culture does. Her recent show celebrating the 10th anniversary of “O” was attended by a few popular Oprahites (Dr. Phil, Suze Orman…) talking of their contributions to the special 10th issue with articles on ten this-that-and-the-other thing. As there is little I appreciate more than a Cliff notes feature on how to improve any aspect of my life, after an hour with Oprah and Friends, I made a mental note to buy my own copy.

But even before that, after the affable and endearing Anthony won the Marie Claire cover challenge during Season 7 Project Runway, I stalked the magazine racks at CVS until Heidi turned up in the blue dress.

But even before that, when I heard that Jeff Beck was featured alongside Eric Clapon in a cover story on Rolling Stone, I just had to get a copy of my own.

Here’s what happened next, after Jeff Beck and Anthony’s dress and Suze’s sage financial advice, I remembered how much I love magazines. And after taking in the Beck/Clapton feature and every other article and review in the pages of RS, I made the big commitment and signed up for a subscription.

And while I opted to pass on bringing Marie Claire home on a monthly basis (forgive me for saying this, Tim and Heidi and Nina, but I’m just not that much of a fashionista) I also decided to subscribe to a monthly dose of “O”. Only here’s where I got smart, or so I thought.

Rather than take the first postcard offer that fell out from between the pages, I shopped the price of a subscription. And it turns out that Amazon.com had a great offer on “O”. So I signed up. And then it turned out that Amazon.com also had a great offer on a slew of others, so I added one more to my cart, than another.

The mail came yesterday. And tucked in with my electric bill was a stack of magazines that now includes “Travel and Leisure”, “Ladies Home Journal”, “Better Homes and Gardens”, “Redbook”, “Entertainment Weekly”, “Wired” along with the previously sited “O” and the one that started it all “Rolling Stone”.

The publishing industry must love me. I may just be one person, but I’ve got a credit card and a mailbox and I know that when you put them all together that spells one more subscriber. It may not single-handedly be able to help them profit, but I’m doing the best I can… and I encourage you to join me. Magazines are fun, filled with little morsels, tips, stories, and ideas that you can tear out and share. They’re compact enough to toss in a carry-on for a flight, bring along to kill clock in a waiting room and easy to pass on or leave behind to others who may find the content compelling, amusing or informative.

And I know that Amazon loves me, too. Because now, every day or so, I get a fresh, new email chock full of subscription suggestions like more serious fare “Time” and “Newsweek”, timely suggestions like “Field & Stream” (Father’s Day is coming!) and “Dog Fancy” (Take Your Dog to Work Day is Coming!) and, from the that’s-a-magazine? category, issues of “Predator”, “Wakeboarding” and “Birds & Blooms”.

I’d better stop opening those emails from Amazon or I could wind up like one of those episodes of “Hoarders” where I’m discovered buried alive under a mountain of magazines. Plus, I’m not going to have much time for email anymore what with all these articles waiting to be read. In this stack alone, I’ll be learning three ways to tap into my intuition, how to drop ten pounds fast, (which is separate from: baking the best chocolate cake ever), how to tip in Tuscany, why “Karate Kid” is such a hit and how to tell when it’s time to move on.

And when I’m all done with the current issues, maybe I’ll pass them on to my mail man to read while he recovers from a mysterious back injury.

Top 10 Books (I'm trying to read)

So, you know how you're always tripping across lists of books that people have just or recently read? Well, I gotta list sort of like that. Only mine is piled up next to my bed.

Someday that pile will be transformed into a list of books I too have found the time to read. But not today. Today the best I can do is to list the books I'm waiting to crack open. The top 10 closest to the bed and therefore, at least theoretically, next in line are:

1) Love Monkey by Kyle Smith. A novel that had me by the end of the second page read on Amazon.com (Go to the website and read for yourself... ) And actually this one I've already started on.
Update 3/22: finished it. Not as good as I'd hoped... sort of a Nick Hornby wannabe. Better off reading "High Fidelity" or "About A Boy"

2) Find More Time by Laura Stack. A book chock full of ideas to get more organized and get more done. If only I can find the time... Ironic, ain't it?

3) The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory. I've read a few of her historical novels (The Other Boleyn Girl, my first and so far favorite). This is the book I've borrowed from Lain and have to get done with so she can pass it on to Daria who is waiting for her turn. Oh, the guilt. Oh, the pressure.
Update 6/2: Finally finished and passed on. A fabulous book, like Phillipa's others, which I was sorry to see end.

And now we move from the nightstand to the pile on the floor next to the bed.

4) Is it hot in here? Or is it me? by Pat Wingert and Barbara Kantrowitz. Two editors from Newsweek who decided to tackle the myths and secrets of menopause. Written with wit and a sense of humor- two critical tools to getting through the subject as well.
Update 5/20: Haven't finished the book yet, but we've started planning the "Is It Hot in Here? Cruise" and invited Pat and Barbara along... Wanna come along?)

5) What Comes After Crazy by Sandi Kahn Shelton. Another novel written with a hefty helping of humor. Key to getting me to 'charge it please' and order it on up on Amazon.com I'll let you know, someday, if it lives up to its promise.
Update 4/24: Cindy says: Five Stars!! And oh boy, what a fabulous book... funny and engaging. Once I finally started it, I couldn't put it down. Now I gotta get the rest of Sandi's books... and start reading her blog at http://www.sandishelton.com/)

6) I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. See #5 only this one is by Nora, who has a pretty good track record on books I actually have read. See #3, another book Lain is waiting for.
Update 3/23: This was to be my follow up to 'Love Monkey' (see number 1) but... well, I feel bad about this book. If I want to hear somebody whining and complaining, I'll just call one of my friends and invite them to vent. At least then I could maybe help them feel better...

7) Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Odds are I'm not going to finish this one, but the movie trailer looked good and the pile wasn't quite big enough yet. And yes, it's Lain's but I think Daria got it before I did. There's a relief.

8) How to Want What you Have by Timothy Miller. A book that promises to help me 'discover the magic and grandeur of ordinary existence' which, come to think of it I'm already pretty in touch with. Maybe I can just pretend that I've read this one.

9) Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley. He had me at Thank You For Smoking and I've pretty much (eventually) read just about everything he's done since then.

10) Princess Bride by William Goldman. Of course, this one I have already read. Twice. But I found myself unable to resist buying the 25th anniversary edition with shiny book cover and now it taunts me... Plus, if you're reading this with a thought of taking a crack at any of these books, I'd really recommend Princess Bride. Charming, funny, engaging, magical... and then some.

Hopefully now that I've put these all down, maybe I'll be better motivated to get 'em all read. And then I can move on to the pile next to the pile next to the bed. Which I won't list now cause that would be just getting too silly.