Ocean Navigator

I just got a subscription and paid $35 for it as opposed to the now price of $25. My bad for not waiting, but what worries me is that when I checked my subscriptions it shows that first copy delivery date is unknown as the publisher cannot guarrantee when the next copy will be produced. This would indicate to me that the publisher is on the edge of shutting down the magazine or it might be a very sporadic issue at best. In the notes it says that this information is on the web page but I checked and nothing is mentioned there to indicate that the magazine may or may not be printed and will have an irregular schedule. This is rather annoying since it is a fairly expensive one. Secondly, unlike other sailing magazines that I get there is no option to cancel or get a refund so let the buyer beware. I will withhold further judgement until I actually get a copy and will post when I do. Hope this helps others, especialy those looking at buying a subscription as a gift for someone.

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Marie Claire (1-year auto-renewal)

This magazine has really grown on me of late, for a lot of reasons. Glamour and Cosmo don't appeal to me as much, partly due the the drop in their quality, and partly just due to the fact that I'm not in their target age group. Marie Claire has far more articles that are in line with my interests. They attempt to cover real issues that have an impact on women's lives. They are able to write stories about the status of women in the world (i.e. their Taliban articles) in a way that makes the information accessible without treating the reader like you are stupid and totally oversimplifying. I also like that not all the models look anorexic, and they don't inundate the reader with diet advice, or articles on sex and how to find/get/keep a man. This is still a light beach read compared to a hard new magazine, but it's far better than most other magazines in this genre.

I'm disappointed with the new direction that Marie Claire has taken. I remember reading this magazine just a few years ago, and it was full of fashion advice that I could actually use.

Not anymore. I suspect it's fashion director Nina Garcia's fault, but unless you are the kind of person who can drop $650 on a sweater or a couple thousand bucks on a dress, there isn't a whole lot in this magazine that you can use, nor is there very much that you would actually WANT to use. For example, my latest issue highlights floor-length tulle skirts paired with denim jackets. Where am I supposed to wear that? The "101 Ideas" section in the front is full of very pricey designer clothes; many items are so expensive that the caption simply reads, "Price Available on Request." Seriously, how useful is this for the majority of Marie Claire's readers? Marie Claire focuses on clothes you could probably never afford, with only a few "bargains" thrown in.

Marie Claire has turned into a snobby, useless imitation of Vogue/Elle. Its editors need to revisit the old axiom "know your audience." I will definitely not renew my subscription. If it had cost more than five bucks, I would be very angry that I had wasted my money.

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Whenever I'd finish reading a magazine like 'Cosmo', I'd feel guilty for indulging in a magazine so obsessed with sex. But whenever I'd finish 'Marie Claire', I felt like I'd read something with quality without loosing any of the fashion and beauty advice (and even a little dating) that I love. The articles range from lingerie to skin care to guns to third world countries. It's the one magazine I can always read cover to cover. I feel as though I've actually learned something about life in other places and at the same time learned how to apply eyeliner more easily. While some magazines pride themselves on featuring models who are (gasp) size 4, 'Marie Claire' shows women with real bodies (there was a woman who was size 20 and proud) which makes me want to appreciate my body that way. The bottom line is the magazine has class and intelligence and plenty of it. If you get this magazine, you're not only getting fashion, dating and beauty, you're also getting a magazine with mind, soul and heart. And isn't that what we're all looking for?

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Unlike Cosmo, Marie Claire is not only about how to please your manit's actually written for women. Of course magazines like these are not literary masterpieces, but that's not why we read them. Marie Claire is great for reading on a plane, bus, train or anywhere else when you want something light and entertaining. the fashion tips are fun to read, the love/relationship advice is really aimed towards women's problems. of course there's the obligatory human interest piece which often seems out of place among pages of expensive clothing and mascara tips, but overall this is a great magazine.

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I love fashion, so I have to keep up with my magazines. However, the last issue of Marie Claire was the bloody limit. The magazine has morphed into the classic trifecta of women's magazine articles: relationships, self-flagellation, and exposes/fear factor stories. Marie Claire ups the ante by having the hubris to declare social justice a topic (hence, this issues's three-page pictorial about rural Brazilian prostitutes). Don't forget aspirational articles about entitled multi-millionare businesswomen (look in their purses!), as well as a puzzling juxtaposition of articles about plastic surgery/eating disorders, etc. followed by an article on what 800-calorie diet is the next best thing, or the latest cosmetic surgery procedures that will change your life. Their nod to "real women" is a pictorial usually quizzing college students across the country "What is your best feature?" ...and you can hear and see how Jade from Ottumwa, Iowa, loves her freckles and perfect bicuspids. Fashion has taken a severe back seat, there are very few articles about the fashion industry or designers. The fashion pictorials are uninteresting and many are straight-from the runway shots haphazardly curated throughout the magazine. Slap a female celebrity on the cover, and you're good to go. A bubbling cauldron of self-loathing, greed, envy and aspirational desperation awaits youdig in!

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All About Beer

This magazine is not for the person who enjoys coors and has no idea what the difference is from a Pale Ale to a Hefeweisen. The magazine is very technical and is meant for the serious beer drinker / fan.

First of all the magazine is all about beer, with that being said some articles can feel redundent (interviews with brewers all sound alike) which is why the mag. only comes out every other month. I am not too big of a fan on the section that discusses beer in a specific town or region.

What I do like is the new beer releases, the ratings system, also the beer reviews where two experts give their opinions. I save each issue and take it to the liqour store to see which beers that are mentioned are available in my town. I have tried several outstanding beers based on the recommendations of All About Beer. They also do a great job introducing you to beer styles that you may not be familar with.

If you like beer as much as I do you will come to think of All About Beer as your own personal beer bible.

This is an outstanding magazine and recommended for anyone who appreciates Craft Beer.

All About Beer magazine is great for the common beer lover. It is enjoyable, easy reading that allows the reader to really explore all aspects of beer. It is great for staying current with industry trends or just for finding new beers to try. I highly recommend this magazine to anyone with a passion for beer.

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Husband recently got into craft beers, so I got him this magazine. He looks forward to receiving it and keeps them to refer back to. Lots of good info and new beers to try!

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One of the best gifts I have gotten my husband! He love this magazine. We have renewed this for the past 3 years.

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This magazine is the best birthday present purchase ever! Its informative, and great to read. You'll be waiting for each issue to arrive with anticapation! Its well worth the price, and its nice to leave out for guests to read.

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Courrier International - Without Hors Series

This newspaper does not have journalists write articles in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a weekly collection of articles, editorials, and cartoons from newspapers and magazines from all over the world, thereby affording you the oportunity to read what the world reads, often translated from languages chances are you don't yourself speak.

If you want your french language skills to help you get a better feel of what the rest of the world is thinking or feels are the important issues of the time, then this is your best bet.

ShopSmart (1-year auto-renewal)

I consider this magazine to be the feminine version of Consumer Reports. The articles are condensed versions of most that can be found in the regular Consumer Reports mag as well as the website. But these are mostly "female" related items, bras, saving at the grocery, purses, wines, etc. The colors are flashy and eye catching whereas the Consumer Reports magazine itself is more utilitarian.

I really like this magazine because it's shorter to the point articles, I don't have to search long lists to find the top 3 of something. This magazine gives the best recommendations as well as those not recommended. They've left out most of the dirty details to get to that point. The magazine also covers stories about the top 10 tips to save at the grocery, the top 10 websites that save you money, cleaning products you can't live without, the best little black dress and on and on.

They also have articles about single females' necessary household tools, and gives the best recommendations for power/hand tools for women. So that's why I'm saying it's meant for women mostly rather than guys.

It is expensive for 6 issues but in one purchase you could save $20, so to me the magazine is worth the cost. If you want, just get the online consumer reports, website only access and you'd have the best of both worlds.

The price listed is $22.95 for 12 months (6 issues). But the magazine is published 10 times a year and the publisher is assigning expirations based on six issues (approx. seven months). This makes the cost per year $42 (considerably more than a year on Consumer Reports at $29).

The magazine itself is fine (three stars) but the dishonest advertising is completely unacceptable.

Also, they seem to be charging a 30% premium to edit CR for a "feminine" audience.

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I've bought the magazine a few times now at the newsstand, and I like the content and layout. However, much like its parent company's Consumer Reports, it is expensive for what it is. Six issues for $23? Not too mention, I have to take even more issue with that price.

If you look at the magazine's website you'll see that it is actually $18 for six issues and $4.95 for shipping and handling.

Shipping and handling for a magazinereally?

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I recommend that you subscribe to Consumer Reports OR ShopSmart, but not both. Here's why:

Since ShopSmart is published by Consumer Reports, I knew I could count on reliable reviews and ratings, no outside advertising, and advice that would save me money. I've subscribed to Consumer Reports for years, and knew what to expect. ShopSmart follows in the footsteps of Consumer Reports in all of these respects.

What really bothers me, though, is the amount of duplication between the two magazines. The January 2011 issue of ShopSmart contained the following, all of which appeared in the January 2011 issue of Consumer Reports:

1. Rating the best cookware sets

2. Rating the best frozen pizzas

3. An article on where sugar is "hidden" in various foods.

4. A discussion about the best all purpose cleaner

5. A review of the Duracell MyGrid charger (including the exact same accompanying photo in both magazines)

6. An article about the dangers of mercury in tuna fish

7. An article about the dangers of shattering glass bakeware

And more...and this is pretty much par for the course each month. I noticed this much overlap in a free trial issue, but thought it was an anomaly...not their standard operating procedure.

It is my opinion that the same organization I trust for their reviews is taking advantage of my trust by making two magazines with so much duplicate content. I will continue to subscribe to Consumer Reports, but I will NOT be renewing my ShopSmart subscription unless it stops duplicating so much of Consumer Reports.

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I have subscribed to "Consumer Reports" for years as I like their unbiased reviews and policy of not accepting advertising revenue. I still subscribe to "Consumer Reports" and have decided to subscribe to "ShopSmart" as well, as it retains the unbiased, no advertising attributes of "Consumer Reports" and focuses on making daily purchasing decisions without any hype or gimmicks.

"Consumer Reports" is extremely useful, but can be quite tedious and detailed, particularly when dealing with electronics or durable goods. "ShopSmart" retains the same general editorial tone, but is much more concise. The individual articles are informative but rather brief, focusing more on value choices versus technical minutiae: of the two it is the more readable magazine by far.

While I still consider "Consumer Reports" as the gold standard for product evaluation and differentiation, "ShopSmart" provides useful, easy to apply information in a highly readable package.

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Water Craft

A beautiful English magazine mainly concerned with small traditional boats, mostly sail and oar, but some power. Great photography; well written. Reminicent of the old Small Boat Journal.

Leica Fotografie International

It is a great magazine featuring excellent articles and photographs. You really need to own a leica or be interested in purchasing one to appreciate the value. They are VERY EXPENSIVE (perhaps way overpriced) but they have been around a long time and pros love them. The magazine maintains the tradition.

This is a great magazine if you are a Leica fan. It has a good mix of equipment and photography.

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This is a great magazine. I love the short articles and of course the Leica photographs. No excessive advertisement offers more photographic substance. I highly recommend this magazine!

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Family Tree Magazine (1-year)

I really love this magazine because, first of all, I love Genealogy! And this magazine is a great source of information whether you are just starting out on your family search or if you've been hitting the archives for years.

And it is WEB oriented which is just what I'm looking for as I do a lot of research online. Family Tree Magazine always has new or important search tips. I learned to check characteristics of old photos for clues in narrowing a search for birth years when you don't have an exact date. Then I looked in the census for years around that time period to find the person I was looking for.

Family Tree Magazine has been a high-quality and useful tool for years in my genealogy research, but in the last months, there has been a clear decline in quality. Some of the articles have been poorly written, inaccurate, and even misleading, especially to those new to family research who are using Family Tree as a resource. They seem to be either choosing writers who are not expert in the articles' subjects, or their copy editors are inattentive or not suited for their jobs. As just a few examples, in recent issues the magazine has told me about about Civil War soldiers being "in a calvary," instead of a cavalry -a big difference!--, and that "the daguerreotype was still common during the 1960s,"--just 100 years off! In a current issue, an article about identifying old photos, never mentions ambrotypes, a common and popular photo method in the 1850s, and in the "1860" section, when the tintype was used and carried by thousands of Civil War soldiers because it had no glass, this dominant photo method is never mentioned at all.

Someone at Family Tree needs to take care of business, get the copy editors to work, and pay attention to quality to avoid the magazine from slipping even further in usefulness and reliability.

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In all, I enjoy Family Tree Magazine as it is chock-full of interesting stories, tidbits and helpful tips for your genealogy research some of which are very creative and will help you further along in your genealogical quest.

My only gripe (and it's one that keeps me from regularly patronizing the magazine) is that the vast majority of their articles (I'd say a good 98%) focus on people whose ancestors were from the British Isles and Germany. While I realize the sheer number of those people compose the majority of the American population (for now), it leaves me, as a reader, feeling left out in the cold because I don't share that ancestry.

Useful tips can be carried over to whatever country your ancestors emigrated from but there are an increasing amount of people researching (or who would like to research) Southern and Eastern European ancestry so why not include us (no matter how scant the records may be?).

In all, though, Family Tree Magazine is an enjoyable and informative read and contains articles worth saving in every issue. Donna Di Giacomo

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I love this magazine and have had a subscription for three years now. I always find some tidbit in each magazine that helps me with a brick wall that I have hit while researching my ancestors. It is, also, a very easy and quick read. I will not let this subscription expire!

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This is one of the best Genealogy magazines. It has been an immense help for new leads to information and how too's. A very good resource for all new and seasoned genealogists or family historians.

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Climbing (1-year auto-renewal)

This is a great magazine for anyone who loves climbing. Fantastic photography of climbs throughout the US and the world with good articles. I prefer Rock & Ice Magazine, but this is a close second.

This is a cool magazine for people who climb, i dig it. Im looking forward to getting more issues of this

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I mistakenly subscribed to this for two long years, instead of the intended Rock & Ice. I just received the latest issue only to see on the front cover, a great photo, but one I'd seen in Rock & Ice more than a year ago! This is the second time in the last 6 months this has happened. I've been climbing for more than 30 years and there's nothing in this magazine of interest to me. I'm going to cancel it, and I don't care if they send a refund or not. Going to Rock & Ice.

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The most ridiculous magazine you can ever buy. First off it seems to be written by surfers. Gnarly, totally awesome dude, bogus... I'm not joking "gnarly" is actually on this month's cover. Second, you learn NOTHING. What a shock that people who failed English class wouldn't have any good advice on the sport. Third, they are so stuck on themselves; any other sports are for the pathetic. Hiker, kayakers... are all second rate people. Basically from the front cover, you have a bunch of `adults' who are trying to recapture their youth by telling everyone dumb enough to keep reading how "awesome" they are. If you interested about the sport look someplace else. Although if you just want flashy photos this is a great magazine.

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Alternative Medicine

I thoroughly enjoyed this magazine and think it has good information for all ages. Alternative Medicine is my first choice over traditional medicine and this magazine gives you things you should think about and ask your doctor.

Fangoria

Ok lovers of horror let me walk you through this must have magazine. You have your "postal zone" where horror fans can complain to the masses about remakes and sequels.

Your "Monster Invasion": for up to the minute newsbreaks and other horrible happenings.

The Dvd chopping list with literally every horror movie coming out on dvd in the months to come with a tiny synopsis to get the gist, wash that down with the fear film forecast, basically every horror movie coming to the theater in the next year or so.

Creep and crawl along to the Video eyes of Dr. Cyclops where he rates new dvd titles on a scale of 0-4 eyeballs, and gives his video of the month.

Then we have the "guts" of the magazine filled to the point of internal combustion with an in depth look at new features, on set interviews with cast and crew, and behind the scenes information. If it looks killer it gets the FANGO SEAL OF APPROVAL, my experience is if it gets that generally there flicks possibly to die for.

Now let's crawl to the DVD Dungeon where we get even more dvd reviews of notable upcoming horror releases, also with a dvd of the month selection.

Then a little bit of fango "comic screams" some horror comics Fangoria style.

The Horrorcade for you ghouls when watching carnage isn't enough and you feel you have to partake this section will help you pick out the newest and best Xbox360, Playstation 2 or 3 games etc.

Let's pay some homage to our demons of the past with the Forgotten Horror section reviewing some of our older nightmares.

What about books you ask? Well let's go to the Nightmare Library where horror books are reviewed and they also give there book of the month.

Also jumping out at you throughout are colorful, disgusting, grotesque pictures that'll have your friends and family giving you odd looks, from movie photos, and horror ads for dvds, also ads for special fx make up programs and movie making schools.

We arrive at the end of our tour through Fangoria magazine and your saying to yourself "Don't Look Now" this review was the opposite of "Misery, "May" I please "Slither", no wait I'll be on "The Fly to order this magazine. I mean if i don't I'm a "Psycho" there's only a handful of months left before It's "Halloween", so i think I'll "Mimic" Mike and I won't procrastinate and wait "28 Days Later" to order this magazine like my fellow "Freaks" it's Blood Simple" and once you do they'll need the "Jaws" of life to pry it out of your hands.

One of my greatest childhood memories involving horror movies concerns Fangoria magazine. You would think the recollection would have something to do with watching "Friday the 13th" or "Halloween" for the first time, and I do have those memories to keep me warm at night, but my first vivid impression of the shocking power of horror films hit me at the tender age of ten or eleven when I stumbled into the local drugstore and picked up a copy of this magazine. I don't remember what the cover looked like--surely it was one of the grotesque images Fangoria routinely plasters on the front cover that initially caught my eye--but I do recall thumbing through the magazine rather quickly in case the nosy cashier decided a youth of my tender years shouldn't look through such a gruesome publication. Immediately before I sat the magazine back on the rack, my eyes settled on a nauseating color photograph of one of those "axe in the head" effects so common in slasher films of the era. I suspect this still came from footage eventually excised from the theatrical cut, however, because it was far worse than what we usually see. I almost lost my lunch on the spot. Even today, I wish I knew which movie that scene came from.

This walk down memory lane aside, I'm ashamed to admit I never owned a copy of Fangoria until I received the latest issue as a Christmas gift. Issue 239 contains several articles of great interest to the horror fan. An interesting one-page story introduces the reader to Tartan films, a Scottish distribution firm planning on releasing a plethora of recent Asian horror films into the U.S. market. Another article interviews director David S. Goyer, the man behind the third installment of the "Blade" franchise. Following this up is another multi-page account of the latest Michael Keaton vehicle, "White Noise," due in theaters in early January. Lots of articles in this thing called Fangoria. "Alien" creator Dan O'Bannon receives a four-page treatment, primarily providing a short retrospective of his career and an announcement that he's returning to Hollywood. The eagerly awaited French slasher picture "Haute Tension" and the remake of John Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13" receive in-depth treatment, as does the latest Godzilla flick and the two low budget films made about the Bell Witch incident in Tennessee. There's even a story about how audiences will likely never see the new reincarnation of "Dark Shadows." All of these articles contain numerous photographs.

Shorter sections of the magazine relate information just as important to the hardcore horror fan as the longer articles. Several discuss recently released and upcoming DVDs, with a feature called "The Video Eye" giving four of these films lengthier reviews. The pick of the month is "Hole," a movie I myself am looking forward to seeing. Their review of another film on my must see list, "Frankenfish," is hilariously sarcastic. Other reviews, such as those found in the "DVD Dungeon," are much shorter. Included here is information on the Indonesian schlockfest "Dangerous Seductress" and Blue Underground's latest release "Mark of the Devil," to cite just two. That the Dungeon named "The Bride of Frank" their pick of the month amused me to no end. If you plan on picking up this shot on video monstrosity, take it from someone who has seen it: don't pop it into the player with family and friends around. Anyone who rates this sludge as a pick of the month is probably someone I'd like to know personally. Anyway, Fangoria does an excellent job of listing most major studio and shot on video DVD releases. They aren't as thorough as the numerous sites on the Internet, though, which is where my critique of the magazine comes in.

I sat down with Fangoria expecting great things and came away with mixed feelings. My biggest problem is with the articles. All of them are well written, carefully structured pieces with much information worth reading about, so that isn't what I'm going to complain about. What I didn't like is how they resemble studio press releases and the stuff you hear on the late night talk shows. Do I really need to pick up this magazine so I can hear the people involved with a film gush about their fellow co-workers? Or constantly state how big a fan of the genre they are? Of course they are going to say these things; they want the movie to do well in the theater by appealing to the fan base. I'd rather see some write ups about special effects work--we all know these guys are the real heroes of horror movies--than listen to some actor go on and on about how dead people might really be trying to contact us through our television sets. One thing I am glad about: I learned the Carpenter remake is a piece of left-wing propaganda I won't be shelling out money to see in the theater. In the fashion of true ideologues, the folks behind the new "Assault" decided to make corrupt cops the enemy storming the police station instead of gang members. Geez, I'm surprised they didn't have the vice-president and president laying down a challenge by throwing a pot of oil on the doorstep.

Fangoria, if this issue is any indication, might be facing serious trouble down the road. I can get all of this information and more from wonderful sites like bloodydisgusting, gorezone, and upcoming horror movies, and I can get it weeks before Fangoria hits the stands. I can even get lots of neat information from Fangoria's website, like their recent series of articles on the AFM event. The magazine is definitely a prime example of the old media we hear so much about lately. The times, they are a changin', as the saying goes. Hopefully, Fangoria will survive.

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Fangoria, to me, is the best magazine i ever picked up. The best magazine for the horror fans as it brings you big budget movie previews, low budget independent movie previews, interviews, reviews of the latest independent flicks, a film forecast of upcoming horror flicks, reviews for horror games and books, plus much more.

Fango has it all for the horror fan, and once you pick up a copy, you wont be able to put it down.

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My husband loves this magazine....It took awhile to finally recieve it, but that was only because it only comes out, I believe quarterly...but for the true horror fan...well worth the wait....

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I received the first 2 issues in this subscription. Nothing since then except renewal notices. Notified Fangoria and Amazon. Fangoria said they would send me the issues I missed. That was 2 months ago. I have yet to receive anything. Amazon apologized and gave me a $10.00 gift card that when I went to use it wasn't valid.

It can't be the mail because I get my other magazines that I subscribe to. But this is the only one that I have subscribed to through Amazon.com

So basically the subscription for this magazine is only for 2 issues and a bunch of renewal notices.

Definitely will not get another subscription to this magazine or subscribe through Amazon for any magazine.