So in the early 2000s a lot of bookstores were closing down. There were many articles about how print was dead and that everyone would get their info through the web. Well, bookstores are still around and print is not dead. Yes, I read magazines online but I also love to go to a bookstore and peruse the magazine stands. Going to the bookstore is the social nonsocial. It is a community of people who more often than not chooses not to interact but interaction is also a possibility. When I look at an article online I miss out on 80% of the things that may interest me. Online no matter how hard you try, you and your attentions are directed to certain sites. Yeah, you can try to direct your searches but you are still going to see what google, bing, yahoo and the other search engines want you to see first. The purest form of looking at magazines is going to the bookstores and looking at the stands. Yes, they have mainly popular magazines mixed with some locals but the playing field is for the most part equal. My eyes see their covers and I choose based off of what attracts me.
Last year I decided that I wanted to write reviews for magazines. Let's face it sometimes we waste time and money on magazines that may not have anything we need. For example, it is hard to find a good February issue for any magazine. A great cover doesn't always mean a great issue. I wanted to be the person to say don't buy this month it is all "clickbait," lol. I wanted to write these reviews last year...way to procrastinate Love. In that time I bought a lot of magazines many were disappointing. Today I decided that now is the time to go to the bookstore and look at all the pretty magazines in print.
What to buy? What to buy?
I decided to go to Barnes & Nobel because it can frankly put me in a good mood, a hopeful mood. While driving to the bookstore I realized it was the end of May and it is "New Magazine Time." (Note: The July issues will be out soon but I am still looking at June.) So, of course I am going to look at magazines. Then I decided maybe I should try that magazine review blog I thought about. I walked into the bookstore and immediately got distracted by all the books that were on sale. Love, we actually gave ourselves an assignment please put down Rich and Pretty. While walking to the magazine section I decided test one.
Test 1
Does the magazine make me want to take it back to my table?
Literally it means does the cover interest me? Is it a mag I normally love? Who is on the cover? What is in the issue? But let's face it, test 1 is all about the cover first, and the magazine brand second. I concentrated on fashion, food, and decorating magazines only. Okay one real estate mag did make it to the table. The point is if it didn't make it to the table it didn't speak to me. It didn't give me a reason to carry it into the café part of Barnes & Nobles. Yeah, I might have picked up the Magazine but it wasn't worth it to me to walk it back to the table and look at further. In all, only 10 made it to the table. I picked up more magazines than that, but either the cover model discouraged me or it just wasn't a good issue. At least not a good issue at first glance.
Test 2
Does it do anything for me? In other words, is it worth taking home? Is there anything in it that engages me at all. Does this magazine help inspire me in any way? Or did I glance through this magazine and set it aside in less than 5 min? If a magazine does not give me that, "ooo wow that image" feel, or "ooo la la that article" moment it is not getting more than 4 minutes of my time. This happened with only two of the magazines I picked and one I would actually buy in a different month but just not this month. Ummm, wait, I am not being honest I can tell in less than 2 minutes if a magazine is worth buying but you know I am trying to be nice.
Test 3
Do you really need it? Does it really inspire you? Is it just pretty pictures? Don't get me wrong pretty pictures are a good reason to buy a magazine but NOT WHEN YOUR ON A BUDGET! I need more from my Magazines than pretty pictures. Especially when some of the magazines cost more than most books! If I had an extra $1,000.00 in my pocket and no bills then yes I would buy these publications. Otherwise hell no! They aren't giving me anything I really need.
Test 4
I'll buy it even if I really shouldn't spend the money right now! This is a magazine that has the pretty pictures and the articles that inspire me. It isn't just a pretty pic of a great food recipe but an article on the Keto Diet. It isn't just a pretty ad for a designer but a fashion spread that talks about trends I never saw coming. These magazines inspire me as an actor, a woman, a foodie and a consumer. They are magazines that I might hesitate to get rid of later. They are definitely magazines that I want to take my time to read and not just browse while I drink my frappe in the Barnes & Noble Café. Of the ten magazines I brought back to my table, only 5 were one that I would take home. There were specific reasons for each! Out of the five I would say the British Vogue and Where Women Cook June issues were the most important for me. Vogue's VLIFE really engaged me with its Big Little Deal and Peak Performers article. So, yes, I would have taken home two June issues of Vogue but like I said the British Vogue was best. ODDA is expensive but the theme Queen Bee is worth it. As a woman who is fighting to rule her own destiny I need it. Of Course W made the list. It is my favorite but there have been some issues that have let me down in the past. Ms. Tiffany Haddish is on the cover of W's Dare to Be You June issue. As women it is time to build ourselves up. The best magazines are inspiring us to keep moving forward. They show us doors we never knew existed and let's face it you might miss the best magazines of the month unless you get out to your local bookstore. We are not virtual people. We are real and sometimes we want to...no we need to see the real thing to discover something we never knew we needed.
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