I know, I know; everything is online. It’s the death-knell of the magazine publishing industry. But not in my house. I love tucking a rolled-up magazine in my purse or flipping through one on the couch at the end of the day. I only have two online “subscriptions” delivered to my inbox: The Optimist and The Daily Tea. My email is overwhelming as it is; I don’t want anything else.
So what print magazines does my family get and why?
Time: Trusted source for the news of the week. I turn on news radio sporadically, but really, I like to listen to music in the car. Why make myself depressed on a daily basis? But it’s still important to know what’s going on, both for me and my teenage son. Interesting tidbits make it to the dinner table with my husband who rarely has time to read anything beyond work stuff.
Science: As a genetics researcher, he has other online subscriptions more specific to his field, but Science is the big deal overall publication to keep track of.
Science News: This has been one of our family’s favorites for years. It is put together in a format and language for anyone to enjoy. I love it, love it, love it.
Yes!: This is my balance to Time because it finds positive news and change going on in the world. It’s perfect for a sensitive, crunchy-granola girl like me. The points of view in these pages I don’t find anywhere else.
National Geographic: My daughter, the photographer, pours over these pages. I like to flip through slowly through the month because it is a rich source of visual material, not to mention such well-written articles about our world. The stories in this classic magazine are varied and important for understanding the whole planet and its people.
Organic Life: This is a sore spot for my husband, the gardener. The magazine used to be Organic Gardening and just changed to Organic Life. Personally, I don’t mind a wider range of topics, but we both liked the original focus. There is an online component specific to gardening, but I haven’t checked it out yet. For example, there was an article on clouds. My husband sighed, but my son and I thought the pictures were so pretty!
Yoga Journal: A really well put together publication with great information and inspiration for doing yoga at home, articles on health and movement, highlights of people using yoga to help others and themselves heal, and great recipes too!
Cicada: Although my daughter is in college now, we still get Cicada because the stories and poetry are consistently excellent. Check it out for any teens in your house.
O, The Oprah Magazine: I consider this my “fun” magazine because it has fashion and style as a big part of the pages, but unlike fashion or mainstream “healthy” magazines, there is diversity in the photos in terms of skin color, age, and weight—so important to me to see! Plus, there are literary recommendations, money advice, Martha Beck, and articles on a wide range of topics each month that speak to an intelligent audience. Basically, this magazine makes me feel good about myself—not a bad thing, even if I roll my eyes at the plethora of make-up reviews.
What about you? Print? Online? What does the GeekMom community read each month?
