Cape Cod Life

I've been reading this magazine for years. Would pick it up, while visiting the Cape, knowing that someday I would buy/build at the Cape. Fabulous ideas. Many, many years later, my dream was realized. The decorating tips and ideas from this magazine were well-worth the cost of this magazine. I'm a big into recycling, so I pass this magazine (very reluctantly) to family...favorite magazine for many years...

Ladybug

I love these magazines. We subscribe to Ladybug, Spider, and Cricket (each for a different child). The stories are great, as is the illustration. An illustrator friend of mine says that it is very prestigious to be asked to illustrate a story in these magazines, and I figure it is the same for the stories. No advertising, of course. The thing I like the best is that each magazine is geared toward a certain age of child. Highlights tries to be something for everyone, so we look through the magazine to find an appropriate story. In Ladybug, we just start at the beginning and read straight through. As the publisher will tell you, when your child outgrows Ladybug, you just let them know and they change your subscription to Spider (and later, Cricket. That's as far as we've gotten).

I LOVE this magazine, and more importantly my four year old daughter LOVES this magazine. I agree with all the other rave reviews on this page.

I do want other parents to be aware of one thing, though. This company sold my daughter's name and address to other companies and we have begun to receive inappropriate consumer catalogs addressed to her. Because no other company has her address, I called the customer service number on the back of Ladybug and spoke to a rep there. Her supervisor called back the next day very professionally, and quite apologetic, and told me that yes, they did sell/give out my daughter's name and address. She then said she would remove my daughter's name from the list that they share/sell. I appreciated the call and the admission, however, I thought other parents might want to be aware of this.

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We received this magazine as a gift subscription last December. Beautiful illustrations and interesting short stories with large letters so they are easy for children to read. My daughter (age 4) can read some of them herself, my son (age 3) looks at the words and the pictures and listens to my daughter read and I have even enjoyed reading this magazine from time to time. This is a great children's magazine! I recommend this magazine for children who have just learned to read and for children and parents to read together.

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A while back I read an interview with Maurice Sendak. He was talking about the last word in his book, "Where the Wild Things Are" and how "the entire staff at the publishing house were keen on changing the word "hot" to "warm" on the last page. Because "hot" meant "burn." He continues to say that the controversy over that one word "turned into a real world war." So why fight over one word? What's the difference between hot and warm, what does it matter? Sendak says warm sounded dopey, unemotional, undramatic, and that "everything about that book is 'hot'."

Well, in my opinion, everything about this magazine is warm. Tepid, even. Safe to the point of boring.

And that surprised me, truly.

You see, we have been receiving Babybug for a few years now. And as my 3 year old daughter began to outgrow it, Ladybug seemed like the next logical step. The only other Carus magazine I was familiar with was Cricket, circa the early 90's, and I was so impressed by it and the complex and interesting stories and non-fiction pieces it contained, and by Babybug as a sweet simple toddler publication, that I had pretty high hopes for Ladybug.

All of the other reviews concerning the magazine, not the ordering process are glowing in their praise. In fact the Amazon reviews contributed greatly to my decision to subscribe to the magazine.

What annoys me primarily about Ladybug is just how dumbed down it seems in contrast to both Babybug and Cricket and to some extent to Spider, of which I've had the occasion to review a single issue. It's both the stories and poems themselves, as well as the language used. I mean, we have a library of nearly 1000 picture books, so we have a wide variety of reading tastes but in all the many, many books we own, spanning decades of children's literature, I can't conjure a single one that seems to be written with such cheesy condescension. The end result and this is the crux of my dissatisfaction in this publication is that the stories are unsatisfying, dry, dull, flat, and totally lifeless. Some of the poems just don't make much sense at all. The recurring themes like Max and Kate are certainly 'safe' but their value doesn't extend much beyond that. Also, I find the illustrations with Max and Kate to be quite unattractive, but a better storyline would grant them forgiveness on that count. Mop and Friends grates on my nerves terribly. Ugh. Even the cartoon Molly and Emmett, which, as a cat lover, I thought would be *fantastic!* just falls flat. Usually, in a publication like this, I would find one redeeming piece where I'd say, "Now why can't the rest of the magazine be like that?" and I might even hold out hope that future issues would be better, but after six months, I feel confident that I've seen the best they have to offer. I'm just not impressed. I don't think we've read most of our Ladybug magazines more than once the day they arrive. They sit directly on our coffee table for the month after they arrive and are ignored entirely though I would happily read them with accompanying animation if it were requested of me. I often read books I loathe (with proper enthusiasm, I might add) because the kids love them but when it comes to Ladybug, they simply never ask.

My second issue is with the presentation sometimes to excess of multicultural themes. Don't take that sentence the wrong way, I certainly desire for my children to learn about other cultures, but my desire is for them to learn about them in a way that feels authentic, not forced and trite, and this is my feeling with the presentation of other cultures given by Ladybug. It feels like the publishers are just throwing this stuff at you out of a desire to be politically correct, but there's no real passion behind it. This is in such stark contrast to the Cricket magazines of the early 90's, which also presented pieces on other cultures but did so in captivating, honest, 'real' ways which inspired young readers to want to learn more.

I began to write this review six months ago when we got our first issue, and shamed myself into keeping my rather harsh opinions to myself. Who would write such an ugly review about a sweet little kids magazine? Would you believe I actually feel guilty for disliking this magazine so much? But dislike it I do, and my kids' lack of interest in it seems to mirror my opinion.

I think it comes down to what Sendak fought for in the difference between hot and warm. When you go for something so safe that you intentionally avoid any real conflict, you miss out on the drama and danger and excitement and even the relief of resolution at the end. All these fantastic emotional ranges that reading can draw out of a person. These are the things that have made the most timeless of stories endlessly appealing. These truths especially apply to kids. You don't have to scare the wits out of them, certainly not, but sometimes things have to be hot instead of warm. Sometimes that risk should be embraced for the sake of literary excellence, and respect for the reader.

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Ladybug is full of useful resources for early childhood teachers and the material is useful even if the magazines are out of date. The ideas in the magazines can be modified for use in the classroom. I teach children from kindergarten to year three, so I need a wide range of suitable materials. Since I am also a parent, I really enjoyed borrowing the magazines for my daughter when she was small. She loved the magazines and when she grew out of them, she graduated to 'Cricket' which is the magazine that follows on from 'Ladybug'.Since 'Ladybug' contains lots of activities, stories and songs, it doesn't take long to build up a useful library of resources. What's more! The activities are age appropriate and they all work.

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Beadwork

Beading is enjoing a wave of popularity right now and there are more magazines than ever and frankly, I read them all. Beadwork stands above the others in many ways. The quality of the articles is fresh and informative, not the same tired junk recycled over and over. New news in the beading world is never over looked and the patterns are always detailed and sources for materials given. If I could only subscrible to one Beading Magazine Beadwork would definitely fill the bill.

This is a magazine that pushes you to create more and better beadwork. It focuses on seed beads, not stringing, and really opens up your mind to the possibilities.

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Beadwork was my first beading magazine. I like the questions to the contributors and the FAQ sections. It's nice to hear something personal from the artists. Along with projects, there are feature articles on specific mediums or artists that are informative and interesting. Project diagrams are detailed and helpful. Way too many ads however (almost 1/2 of the magazine). My only real complaint is that I only get it 6 times a year.

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Beadwork magazine as with most magazines on a particular skill or art gives you every thing you expect. Magazines can not replace books for in-depth and specialties skills that are targeted by a particular beader. However they are broader and more contemporary. There are projects for novice and expert alike using traditional materials and the latest in bead technology.

The projects are well described and have color pictures and diagrams. You will find Step-by-step instructions. There are always fresh ideas. I am particularly interested more in Bead Knitting than in bead jewelry.

One of the mane reasons to buy magazines is to find sources of recourses. The market changes all the time. The ads in this book give you locations and websites for items to add to your stash.

Handwoven

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I always admire the cover as well as the very useful contents of this magazie that I make sure I get a copy as soon as it's available.

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Hobby Farm Home (1-year auto-renewal)

I do not live on a farm and I don't have anything larger than a small garden but, this magazine has lots for even me. I use this to come up with ideas for projects to do with my kids. Some the old ways of cooking, canning, and just living are being lost to our children. This magazine brings the older ways back. The kids love the idea of making paper this fall. I have learned how to make wine and an old fashioned German dinner as well as how to make a bird bath that looks like a leaf. This magazine really is wonderful for everyone.

I just received my first issue and was very pleased with it. The photography is wonderful and the magazine is filled with substance, not ads, like so many magazines are. Although I do not own a farm (or even that much land!) it is easy to appreciate the articles as they range from recipes for edible flowers, different types of artisan honey, and reusing items you already have to become better organized.

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I love this magazine. It has something for everyone living in the country, and even those that don't. The articles are a good length and they vary, so you can choose what you have time for. The photos are beautiful and inspiring. I wouldn't change a thing. Just don't get too anxious after you order...it said I wouldn't be receiving the subscription for a few months, so I bought the latest copy, only to have it arrive in the mail a week later.

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great tips for small agreage farmer/rancher. includes information on gardens, animals, equipment purchase and repair, and cooking (what to do with all the produce the garden grows).

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I received my first issue and really enjoyed reading it. It is a great balance of beautiful rural lifestyle photography as well as informative articles with information that is useful for building a sustainable lifestyle even in a suburban area. I will definitely re-subscribe when the time comes.

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Foreign Affairs

I have to admit that when I subscribed to this magazine for the first time about five years ago, I did so out of a sense of duty to educate myself about all of the foreign policy and political things that I wasn't taught in school. It did seem a little dry from the get-go, but now I am a Foreign Affairs junkie, so to speak. Those who contribute articles to this magazine are professors, politicians, heads of state, and other great (and occasionally not-so-great) thinkers of our times. One gets the perspectives of world events from educated individuals from all over the world, not just America, and sometimes the points of view are very different than those of the American media. I also appreciate that Foreign Affairs publishes articles that almost seem to foreshadow news events (they were covering background on Kosovo before newscasters in this country even knew where Kosovo was.) From reading this magazine one can see that very few problems in the world are "overnight" or occur "out of nowhere" but are usually the result of problems and conflicts that have been happening for some time, if only out of the spotlight of the Western mainstream media. The analysis in these articles is deep many articles are over twenty pages long. The reader is left feeling more enlightened and not as if the issue has just been "glossed over." I enjoy reading the Letters to the Editor as well. It is great to see an article rebutted by another area expert who provides his or her insight to the problem at hand. Also,the list of contributors to Letters to the Editor reads like a list of Who's Who in Politics. It is amazing to see the people in government, here and abroad, who read this magazine. Probably more of them should.

Foreign Affairs is mandatory reading for the serious student of global diplomacy. The comments, essays and book reviews in this bimonthly publication are always well researched, written and presented in a straightforward fashion. Moreover, Foreign Affairs will consistently crystallize contemporary thinking on a vast array of foreign subjects.

I often wonder how Editor James Hoge manages to regularly tap the finest minds in the world for each issue. Certainly, the editorial staff of this outstanding publication is dedicated to the highest standards of excellence as well making sure that Foreign Affairs represents provocative worldwide cutting edge schools of thought.

Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, France, Mexico or Colombia...you name it, Foreign Affairs examines it in great detail. To this end, there is no hot spot in global affairs that does not considerable academic or journalistic attention. Foreign Affairs will also focus on sensitive issues such as French Anti-Americanism or Bush's Nuclear Follies with clear and concise observations. I cannot think of a mainstream publication in the United States with the courage and vision to cover such important ground.

Bert Ruiz

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The only magazine I read from cover to cover is Foreign Affairs, published by the distinguished bi-partisan Council on Foreign Relations. Ideas and issues presented in each issue are discussed six months later in the news. A recent example of this phenomenon is the publication of Daniel Yergin and Michael Stoppard's The Next Prize, about strategic issues surrounding the future of natural gas as an energy source. The article appeared in late 2003, and since then the concerns raised in the article have reverberated in business publications, energy conferences and Sunday talk shows.

Since my childhood I have thought of Foreign Affairs as an influential publication in leadership circles. Over a quarter century ago, I remember reading that Henry Kissinger promoted Daniel Patrick Moynihan as US Ambassador to the United Nations on the basis of an article he wrote in Foreign Affairs. As the founder of a company dedicated to cultural and business travel to Russia, I need to stay ahead of the knowledge curve with regards to the world, rather than just be informed of events. I find Foreign Affairs to be the single most valuable tool to stay informed about foreign policy, trends in world affairs, and current political thought.

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I've been reading FA since 2001 and have found it to be consistently good. There are only six issues each year, so I have time to read it front to back each time. The articles are more in-depth than something you might read in the Economist or other weekly news magazine. This is not something you read for headlines, but something you read for issues.

FA seems to me to be non-partisan. Condi Rice, Chuck Hagel, and Donald Rumsfeld get space to write, but so does Madeline Albright and Samuel Berger.

Recent articles I liked: "How to Counter WMD" by Ashton B. Carter, "How to Stop Nuclear Terror" by Graham Allison, and "The Outsourcing Bogeyman" by Daniel W. Drezner.

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS makes no apology for its antiquated typescript, large print, and generally stodgy appearance. It hardly needs to.

It is simply one of the consistently finest sources of foreign policy discussion available from an American (thus *foreign* policy means USA vis-à-vis the world) point of view. The design folks have correctly discerned that toying with appearances could only interfere with a train that rolls just fine as it is.

FA is often the vehicle of choice for American foreign policy officers who have moved on to think tanks and other private sector roles. For example, see the Richard Holbrooke (he of the Dayton Accords) piece entitled 'Liberalism and Foreign Policy' in the most recent (July/August 2006) issue available to this reviewer.

The voice most often heard in FA is decidely that of the Washington establishment, broadly defined. Yet the editors occasionally toss in a dissenting viewpoint like that of Hugo Chávez' Ambassador to the US ('A Benign Revolution: In Defense of Hugo Chávez', July/August 2006) for color.

The writing is well informed and superbly edited. Roundtable discussions on issues of concern are common, as are themed issues. Again from the recent issue, the topic 'The Rise of India' provides space for four essays entitled 'Unshackling the Economy', 'India's Global Strategy', 'America's New Partner?', and 'The Kashmir Conundrum'. FA's genius lies in that the globe's foreign policy experts will have digested these contributions with great care, yet the business traveler on her first trip to India can easily do the same on the first flight of her journey. Such is the quality of FA's editorial work.

Long-time readers often discern an editorial drift to the right or the left, a perception that may owe as much to the changing currents of international affairs and the constantly moving matrix in which any statement must be written and read as to any real shift in the journal's political leanings.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS is a must read for career internationalists, a worthwhile educational tool for those who want to know what America's brightest (thought not always most in touch with facts on the ground) policy makers are thinking, and a diversion for hobbyists whose curiosity regularly yanks them tornado-like out of Kansas.

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Navy Times

I get this subscribtion every year for my retired Navy father. He loves to get it, and had stopped his delivery due to personal finance reasons. So I hopped on Amazon, and ordered it up to be delivered to his house and have been doing so for four or five years now.

The articles help him stay in touch with all the changes in the Navy since his retirement in 1977. When you are retired, a good read on a regular basis really improves the quality of life...So I would highly recommend it or go with the Army, or Marines, or Air Force Times if you have a loved one with connections to those services.

Thank you to all who served (I did 20 myself and have one of my sons deployed now.)

Scottish Field

This is a beautiful publication. The articles are well written, photos are lovely, and the paper stock is high quality. Nice insight to Scotland without being touristy. Looking forward to subsequent issues.

I purchased this subscription for my fiance and he loves it to pieces. It shows some exquisite Scottish properties, highlights some unique stores and businesses, and has stunning photos. We'll be renewing in the future for sure.

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Retro Gamer

Awesome title from the UK, but for American and Canadian subscribers go to the official retro gamer site and enter the promo code: CLASSIC for the discounted price of £50.00 or $77.31 in US dollars.

This magazine is incredible. Just be warned this is a magazine about old school games and systems.If you love older games, get this mag. It is really expensive but it comes from the UK. They have a lot of great interviews with game designers and game creators. The also go in depth on old systems like Amiga, Coleco, NES, Vectrex. The only thing is sometimes there prices for products is in pounds instead of dollars. Every issue in the back has a list of all the old systems and what they are currently going for in pounds and dollars. So if there's a old system your looking for this section is awesome. I can not say enough good about this mag. Do yourself a favor and pick up an issue if you can find one at your local retailer. And relive the glory day now gone.

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I won't waste your time with pointless babble...

Retro Gamer is a truly remarkable piece of video game history. If you play games from yesteryear, then there is absolutely no reason you should

not have an ongoing subscription to this incredible mag.

Just the fact that it exists is a testament to the fact that you NEED this mag in your collection. It will undoubtedly become rare and valuable over the

years, as video game journalism is a hot commodity.

5 stars. Remarkable!

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This is absolutely the best gaming mag out there. If you are a fan of classic and retro gaming, this is the book to get! Jam packed with great articles, reviews of games with a retro slant, and just overall great writing. I look forward to each and every issue. I subscribe to all current gaming mags too, but this one has a special place on my bookshelf. No mag in the US comes close! You can find subscriptions cheaper elsewhere and even find coupon codes, so shop around. You wont be disappointed!

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If you call yourself a true gamer, then look no further than Retro Gamer! In this day and age where we can easily find information on the internet about a hobby we all love, this magazine keeps its loyal followers by providing a high quality product from the first page to the last page (content and magazine material). Time and time again they have provided excellent interviews with people in the know and breakdowns of collecting for specific game systems and game series. Also look out for their special release publications that focus on various topics of interest, but go further within the details of the subject.

Coins Magazine (1-year)

Time-sensitive data such as mint release dates and pricing is not current in a monthly magazine such as this, but the articles are very interesting and I enjoy it very much.

i get so excited when my magazine comes, i love the large pictures of the coins being reviewed and use my magazines for reference for prices,i share them with a man who buys storage lockers and ALWAYS finds old coins,the magizine gives you a current up to date view over the OFFICIAL RED BOOK.. giving you a more realistic view of what to expect from the coin marget and i also love reading the stories of how and where people find there coins!

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This magazine fits right into my collection. It is easy to use and to identify the coins I am looking for.

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If you are a coin collector, you need to subscribe to this magazine. Found it to be very helpful. Buy it.

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It is probably most in depth monthly magazine on the market with good market price guides. Wish they had more categories of grades and more of current year pricing.

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