Next time I have a spare moment, I want to check out Slightly Foxed, a book-review magazine that sounds pretty good, at least based on this Bookslut review.
I'm all for a non-generic book mag; if you know of any others, let me know. I have a hard time finding anything but the usual boring ones in town.
(Whatever happened to Bookslut's blog, anyway? I used to spend lots of time following links there.)
Monday, November 22, 2004
box full of paper
I've narrowed my magazine subscriptions down. I have dropped/am dropping In Style, Lucky, Real Simple, and Marie Claire, because they just made me want to buy things. Dropping Self because I get Health, and it gets sort of repetitive after a while. After a lot of debating, I dropped Entertainment Weekly because it just wasn't that enjoyable for me anymore, and I'm trying to concentrate more on real life and less on screens (although I already miss Dalton Ross). I dropped Giant Robot because it's one of those magazines that sit around for a month before I get to it.
And I'm dropping Kitchen Sink after my sub expires because each time I've ordered something from their website (my first issue, then Volume 1), I've had to e-mail to find out where it's at. In the case of Volume 1, I waited two and a half months with no luck, then e-mailed and got a "I know I sent it!" response and a promise for a resend and a couple of extra issues for my trouble. I got the resend, but no extra issues, and not even a note inside with a quick "Sorry!" -- that's one of my (maybe unfair) pet peeves. If you're gonna promise something, deliver or apologize. Anyway, between that and the typos (it's such a nice-looking publication and so smart, but the typos make it unreadable for me), I've given up on this one. That doesn't mean you should, though! Maybe you have better KS luck.
I'm keeping Cooking Light and Everyday Food, although I may stop CL after this year and just buy the collected recipes, since I usually end up buying them anyway. I can't imagine giving up Everyday Food, though, with its fantastic and simple recipes. Also keeping: MS Kids (I get so many ideas from it), Venus, and BUST (god, the Dec/Jan issue kicked ass, especially the crafty section).
Bitch is on the verge of being knocked off the list. The last few issues just haven't interested me that much, and I don't get hyped up when I see it in the mailbox anymore.
Man, I used to get so effing many magazines. Of course, now my mailbox gets filled up with stupid mail-order catalogues instead. One day I will figure out how to stop that from happening, and that will be a happy day.
And I'm dropping Kitchen Sink after my sub expires because each time I've ordered something from their website (my first issue, then Volume 1), I've had to e-mail to find out where it's at. In the case of Volume 1, I waited two and a half months with no luck, then e-mailed and got a "I know I sent it!" response and a promise for a resend and a couple of extra issues for my trouble. I got the resend, but no extra issues, and not even a note inside with a quick "Sorry!" -- that's one of my (maybe unfair) pet peeves. If you're gonna promise something, deliver or apologize. Anyway, between that and the typos (it's such a nice-looking publication and so smart, but the typos make it unreadable for me), I've given up on this one. That doesn't mean you should, though! Maybe you have better KS luck.
I'm keeping Cooking Light and Everyday Food, although I may stop CL after this year and just buy the collected recipes, since I usually end up buying them anyway. I can't imagine giving up Everyday Food, though, with its fantastic and simple recipes. Also keeping: MS Kids (I get so many ideas from it), Venus, and BUST (god, the Dec/Jan issue kicked ass, especially the crafty section).
Bitch is on the verge of being knocked off the list. The last few issues just haven't interested me that much, and I don't get hyped up when I see it in the mailbox anymore.
Man, I used to get so effing many magazines. Of course, now my mailbox gets filled up with stupid mail-order catalogues instead. One day I will figure out how to stop that from happening, and that will be a happy day.
gasp!
I haven't read any actual books lately (no rest for the relocating), but I did receive a great cookbook the other day, so let's talk about that.
To explain, I'm signed up for The Good Cook book club, mostly because I'm drawn to the siren call of cheap pretty cookbooks, and their opening offer was a good one. (And I can never bring myself to pay full price in an actual bookstore, but I'm okay with paying the slightly lower club price by mail. Strangeness.) They have, of course, their little cards that you get each month and have to return or they automatically ship you their selection of the month. Apparently they never received my card last month, and they shipped me Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine. I was going to just return it, but I looked up a few reviews, and it sounded like something I might like. So I decided to keep it.
Yesterday I looked through it, marking the recipes I wanted to try, and damn, I love this book. Chef Patrick O'Connell co-created The Inn at Little Washington, a place I will probably never be able to visit but can still appreciate. The recipes are almost all slightly glamourous but still accessible (they actually seem do-able), and the pictures are gorgeous. The best part is that O'Connell is a great writer, throwing little anecdotes in and not being too Important Chef serious, so the book ends up being fairly light-hearted and fun to read. There are pictures of my beloved Virginia here and there (The Inn's located near the Blue Ridge Mountains), which of course makes me love the book more because I'm a horrible biased reviewer.
I'm afraid I'm not that great at reviewing cookbooks. Here: this is a splendid cookbook. It has beautiful recipes that are easy to follow. I've marked about a quarter of the pages with my "to try" bookmarks. I was so excited about it that I talked to my husband for ten minutes about the thing, even as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. And, bonus, it's not snobby. The end.
To explain, I'm signed up for The Good Cook book club, mostly because I'm drawn to the siren call of cheap pretty cookbooks, and their opening offer was a good one. (And I can never bring myself to pay full price in an actual bookstore, but I'm okay with paying the slightly lower club price by mail. Strangeness.) They have, of course, their little cards that you get each month and have to return or they automatically ship you their selection of the month. Apparently they never received my card last month, and they shipped me Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine. I was going to just return it, but I looked up a few reviews, and it sounded like something I might like. So I decided to keep it.
Yesterday I looked through it, marking the recipes I wanted to try, and damn, I love this book. Chef Patrick O'Connell co-created The Inn at Little Washington, a place I will probably never be able to visit but can still appreciate. The recipes are almost all slightly glamourous but still accessible (they actually seem do-able), and the pictures are gorgeous. The best part is that O'Connell is a great writer, throwing little anecdotes in and not being too Important Chef serious, so the book ends up being fairly light-hearted and fun to read. There are pictures of my beloved Virginia here and there (The Inn's located near the Blue Ridge Mountains), which of course makes me love the book more because I'm a horrible biased reviewer.
I'm afraid I'm not that great at reviewing cookbooks. Here: this is a splendid cookbook. It has beautiful recipes that are easy to follow. I've marked about a quarter of the pages with my "to try" bookmarks. I was so excited about it that I talked to my husband for ten minutes about the thing, even as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. And, bonus, it's not snobby. The end.
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