Magazines

In my life, I've only had a handful of magazines that I've ever read on a regular basis.  When I was a teenager, it was Seventeen.  I remember having the librarian make sure I was the first one that had it on reserve every month, and she'd call me to let me know when it came in.  Then I'd bike down to the library, get the magazine, go home, and pour over the contents.  Silly, I know, but I was so into it.

When I was in college, the only magazine I got was American Music Teacher, as part of my national membership to a music teachers organization.  I still read that thing cover to cover!  My favorite parts are the book reviews, conference information and summaries, and articles regarding anything historic.  Even though I don't feel like I'm a true music "professional" anymore, this shows me that I do still know a thing or two about the field!

The last two magazines I've found in recent years are so different from anything I would have picked up on my own:  Cooks Illustrated and Smithsonian. 

The Cooks Illustrated I started getting a few years ago as a birthday present from my husband's grandmother.  She spent many Sundays cooking with my husband, me, and his cousins, so I think this was her way of imparting more cooking knowledge since we didn't live near her anymore.  At first, I let them pile up and just looked at the pictures.  After awhile, I discovered a section in them that reviewed different types of kitchen gadgets.  Fascinating!  And then, another section of questions from readers.  Oooo!  Finally, I started reading the actual articles and recipes, and I've learned so much about how to put things together from them.  I haven't made that many of the recipes out of the magazines, but the ones I have have been incredibly amazing and taught me so much. 

The Smithsonian we started getting as something my husband could use his frequent flier miles on (lol!).  The first issue we got, I read it cover to cover and was amazed at the breadth and depth of all the topics inside.  There were things in there that I would never dream about reading on my own, and yet I found myself completely spellbound by the articles.  One recent article I remember was about Mitt Romney's Mexican roots.  Another was about Antarctic explorers that failed in their expedition and died along the way back.  Yet another was about Abraham Lincoln's youth in Illinois with a focus on the area he grew up in.  Love it!  My husband let our subscription lapse this spring, and after much puppy-dog-eyes from me, he said we could renew.  Hurrah!  Can't wait for the next magazine.