Highlights For Children

I enjoyed this magazine as a kid, but then, I also loved Electric Company. Looking at both now, they seem dated and tedious, but perhaps our children need something that moves at a slower pace than everything seems to do now. Neither of my children (5 & 7) enjoyed Highlights at first, but after getting a subscription from their grandmother, they have discovered the joy of curling up in a quiet corner and figuring out the puzzles and stories for themselves. It's a magazine with a style and format that encourages reflection and absorption, rather than a voracious grab and go version of reading, that I believe will give a child a better foundation. "To read without reflection is like eating without digesting" Edmund Burke

The product itself is good and engaging for kids.

However, be wary once your a customer and a client because you will be in their records. Their marketing trick is to keep on sending you "gifts" or packages of more books or puzzles even up to the point that you dont even ask for it. Later on you'll be charged for it for not returning their books (of course you will mistakenly think they were part of your subscription in the first place.) So you will incur charges, even late fees if you dont pay. And cancelling can be a pain too! You will be in their "collection agency" if you don't pay up. Bad customer service!

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I was so excited to find this title on Amazon.com! My kids love this magazine and it's even more fun than when I was little. I still see this in all the doctor offices and now we can have our own copy at home! My children's teachers have recommended this to supplement their reading curriculum. My kids don't sem to notice that they are learning since they are having so much fun. I'll be glad to turn off the TV, the advertisements, and the games each month when my issue arrives. Thanks Highlights!

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My daughter received a subscription to High Five as a gift. This is a version of the magazine for younger children...from Highlights. She loves it. In one of the magazines, at the back, there was a little scratch game. You had to scratch the pieces and if you had three matches you could win a FREE book and a FREE tote bag. So of course we won. My daughter was very excited and I thought it was pretty cool myself. A couple weeks later we get some Highlights puzzle magazines in the mail...didn't think anything of it. This morning my wife and daughter are having fun doing activities in these magazines and I start to wonder, out loud, why they gave these to us. I start sifting through all the papers and find an invoice that says we owe $2.45 for S&H and $5.49 for one of the puzzle "books" (they're actually magazines)...and a couple more that are "free". Then I come across another piece of paper that informs me that they will send me the "free" tote once I send them the money. This absolutely infuriates and disgusts me. How can they take something fun and innocent and turn it into something ugly. I remember having Highlights when I was a kid! I'm looking for alternative activity books for my daughter as I was planning on continuing the subscription when it ended.

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Highlights magazine is the New Yorker of children's literature. Following that analogy, the Nickelodean Magazine or Disney Princess might be the In Touch Weekly's of children's lit. Highlights may at times feel outdated and stale (as might the New Yorker), but overall the quality is consistent and there is plenty to enjoy. The Hidden Picture puzzle alone is worth the price. If you only know the magazine from schools and doctor's waiting rooms from your childhood, you might not have had the chance to see a pristine Hidden Picture puzzle. The pictures end up getting marked up by kids with poor impulse control and listless parents, the future sociopaths of America, who evidently did not absorb any lessons first from Goofus and Gallant. With Highlights you get no advertising, no slick pandering your children, and you get stories, puzzles, projects, poems, and those lovable Timbertoes.

It's also good just to get magazines for kids in the mail. I find it to be a nice way to encourage reading in my family. Nothing cuter than going through the mail with the kids after which everyone sits down together, in earnest, and flips through their magazine.

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American Bungalow

If you're into bungalows or craftsman furnishing and decor, this magazine is a "must have". I was thrilled to discover it and read it cover to cover, both for the articles and for the ads, which show hard-to-find items for bungalows by small suppliers as well as big ones.

The articles cover restored old homes and new ones in the style -how they are decorated and maintained -and there are lots of examples of what people have done with their bungalows. There is a newsletter section at the back with pertinent events and information about preservation and bungalow neighborhoods across the country.

At first I was put off by the price, but as magazines go, American Bungalow is a real standout. In fact it looks more like a book than a magazine. The photography and design are first rate. I just wish it were more frequent than 4 times a year.

Not only does this magazine highlight the "before & after" photos of renovating these beautiful houses, they also offer project ideas, tips & techniques, sources for materials, and great historical data as well. We've solved many of the "remuddling" mysteries of our bungalow by relying on ABM. Of equal importance is their online forum--a group of bungalow-friendly individuals from around the country who trade ideas, advice and support. This is an active and knowledgeable community. If you fall in love with the magazine, you can get back issues through the website. It's beautifully done.

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I first discovered American Bungalow magazine about a year ago and was instantly hooked! This magazine is full of helpful information for anyone who is interested in the era of the American Arts and Crafts movement (architecture, furniture, and decor). Although I do not own a bungalow house, I would love to someday. It doesn't matter whether your interest in these houses is scholarly or practical. As a woodworker who loves to build classic A&C furniture, I value the magazine for its ability to show me beautiful photographs of this timeless furniture in its natural context a bungalow house! The ads are a great resource for all things Bungalow and Arts&Crafts, and the stories about famous bungalows and bungalow neighborhoods are very inspiring to the house lovers among us.

Treat yourself to this magazine I highly recommend it!

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I love this magazine.

I have a hard time justifying it as a magazine thoughit's not your usual "full of ads and worthless information" magazine. This one is a keeper. I have a shelf devoted to them (and I know when one is missing toodon't even ask to borrow one!) I hear that even the back issues sell on Ebay for huge amounts of money. It means that much to a lot of people.

I find myself scurrying to my mailbox hoping to find it every 3 monthsonce I receive it I relish in it for daysI have bought two subscriptions just to keep the harmony in my marriage when it arrives and my husband wants to read too. Problem solved for under $30!

Really it's not a magazine subscriptionit's a magazine prescription for the dreamer in all of usthere is joy, awe, and lots of ooh's and ahh's on each and every page.

Even if you don't own a bungalowlike meit is still an inspiration for those that wish they could and those that admire the lifestyle and memories that old homes bring to heart. American Bungalow takes me back to Grandma's house and to me that is what makes me love the magazine all that much more. It's not just reading the articles (which are wonderful) it's the feeling the magazine produces (the wonderful photos)that never lets me downto once again be in Grandma's house. The "feeling" of the home I wish to have.

Cost of subscription29.95

Having to have all Back Issues200.00

Feelings of being where you felt safe and at peace Priceless.

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This is the magazine that best reflects the original spirit of the Arts & Crafts, bungalow, craftsman and closely-related styles. It manages a nice blend of coverage of older houses, furniture, and decor while mixing in renovation, the occasional modern adaptation, preservation activities, research and historical articles, and so on. The magazine is expensive and only comes out quarterly, but production values are high, the content is wonderful, and even the ads rise to the level of serving as a sourcebook. This is one of the few magazines to which we subscribe that we keep.

Again, expensive compared to most magazines, particularly on a subscription basis, but jewels tend to be expensive!

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Coin World Special Edition

I used to enjoy the worldwide coins issue from this company who discontinued the product and "included" the content in the special edition along with paper money. Every month they kept reducing the world coins section. I purchased the product for that section. I won't be renewing. The American coins section seems fine but the paper money and world coins are too little, and seem to be an afterthought.

Consumer Reports Money Adviser (1-year auto-renewal)

I would recommend this publication to anyone that wants unbiased information regarding personal finance. I have been a subscriber for several years now, and I look forward to getting this magazine in the mail. The great thing about Consumer Reports is that it does not receive advertising dollars; thus, the publisher is less likely to be persuaded to push particular financial products. Every month, there is a feature that discusses a topic regarding a financial issue, and the article provides in-dept instructions regarding that issue. I have not seen another financial magazine that is as thorough regarding financial instructions to improve one's financial capabilities and assets as this magazine.

I got a hold of a 6 months issues of "Money Adviser". In the nutshell, Money Adviser is an 16-page publication without advertisement (hence the cost of publishing is transferred to the subscriber). Here is the content of the November 2011 issue (and my summary of the article). Tell me if it is something you don't hear elsewhere...

1. Article: "Watch out for the new bank fees" (Summary: Banks ramp up fees, examples of fees; consider switching to a small community bank; how to switch)

2. "Why you can't judge a deal by its list price" (Don't believe the list price stated on the price sticker, check the price on the internet. Examples)

3. "Black Friday survival tip" (Check prices carefully, sign up for email alerts, check return policy)

4. "Don't sabotage your portfolio" (Stick with a long-term plan, Maintain the balance, Keep the right amount of cash, Don't invest impulsively)

5. "Refinance to a shorter-term mortgage?" (Calculate savings in interest, Can you afford higher payment? Are you better off investing the difference in stock market?)

6. "Dividends or stock buybacks" (What's better for a shareholder dividends or stock buybacks? Bottom line either one is good)

7. "Is another recession on the way?" (Economists can be wrong, so stay put and stick with your long-term plan)

8. "Real estate that pays dividends" (Look into REITs for they pay high dividends, Table with REIT Mutual Funds)

9. "When did charities get picky" (Some charities got picky, so have a plan B when your old sofa is refused by the charity)

10. "A plan for charitable bequests" (Your heirs will benefit more from appreciated assets than your IRA and why)

11. "Get the best deal on a used car" (Don't reveal what you can afford, negotiate, be ready to walk away, check vehicle history)

12. "Rebalance and consolidate" (Rebalance and consolidate)

13. Q&A (Q: Should I tip a workman? Q: Where to check annuity issuers? Q: Cashier wants my security code why?)

I hope by number 5 you realized (like I did), that Money Adviser is no different from any other financial publication (in terms of contents). However, it's much smaller (compare with 80 pages of Kiplinger's or Money Magazines).

Bottom line Decide for yourself if it's worth extra 20 dollars a year.

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It took a little while to get this product (maybe 2 weeks). They indicated when I subscribed it would take longer so I wasn't too disappointed. I read through the magazine and it reads much like the regular Consumer Reports magazine it appears to be unbiased and trustworthing information that I can trust. I do wish it was a little longer but for the price I believe it is fair.

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After a year's subscription I honestly have to say that I am disappointed. Most of the financial info is the same as some of the websites that get my daily news and from one of the major big box stores that issue a free magazine. The only thing this is really good for and what I got out of it is that it confirms what I already know. After a year's time and a few dollars spent on this, I would rather ask my financial adviser instead of renewing another year.

Update. While this subscription may not be for me, I do have to say that for someone who does not have a financial background it would be worth the money because not everyone is familiar with finance and CR is very credible for the general public.

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I've been a subscriber for several years and still look forward to getting the publication in the mail and reading it. And I usually read it a couple of times there aren't a lot of pages so it doesn't take that long. Much of the info is general in nature and is available elsewhere if you keep up with basic financial news and events. But I occasionally pick up a "gem" from the publication which makes the cost worth it. I wish it contained more information in each issue (had more pages). And in the title of this review I say "mostly unbiased" because every person, organization, and company in the world is biased in one way or another, including Consumer Reports. In conclusion, 4 stars = very good, but not great. Will I continue to subscribe? Yes.

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Shotgun Sports Magazine (1-year auto-renewal)

I have been reading this magazine for a couple of years now. Each issue always has something interesting in it.

It has good unbiased product reviews, reloading info, tips on technique from some top professional like Chris Batha.

Outshines all other Trap, Skeet and Sporting Clays magazines in my view.

I have been reading Shotgun Sports now for two years. It is one of the best publications for the shotgun enthusiast. The articles are timely, well written, and appropriate for all levels of shooters. I highly recommend it to all of you out there interested in shotguns or improving your game.

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This magazine is great because it focuses on shotgun sports and nothing but. It's advertisers deal with nothing but shooting related stuff. It is just what I needed to enhance my knowledge of the sport..

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For anybody that enjoys Trap Shooting, Skeet, Five Stand or Sporting Clays this magazine is for you.

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This is the one magazine that I truly enjoy getting and reading every month. Very useful articles, regardless of your skill level with shotgunning. I highly recommend this publicayption to anyone I talk with about shotgunning.

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Bluegrass Unlimited

well, if you're a follower of the genre this is the magazine for you. each issue has at least 1 interesting, well researched article on a band you've heard of. the album reviews tend to be a bit bland hard to get candid criticism here. but the ads and listings for events are top notch, and the letters and questions sections are full of interesting historical tidbits.

They do like every magazine distributor and send you last month's issue for the first delivery. Sadly, many of the events promoted have already occurred. Everything else was fine.

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BU is the bible of bluegrass and a must not only for fans but also artists.

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If you love Bluegrass, you will want to subscribe to this magazine to find out where all the festivals/concerts are being held.

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This magazine is a must for anyone who loves Bluegrass Music. It gives information on new music, groups, instruments, and many other things related to Bluegrass.

Delight Gluten Free Magazine

The magazine is great...I give it 4 stars due to their ongoing customer service problems. Which is really unfortunate. My tip would be to keep track of your 4 issues in your subscription, and make sure to contact them if you don't receive one. They tend to send 2 or 3 and then stop and tell you your subscription is over. Then you have to call and email to try to get the rest of your issues. For awhile, NONE of their contact information worked. Which was quite strange. You could call, email etc Absolutely NO response. Then when you'd finally get someone to respond, they'd tell you that they return calls and emails within 24 hours. LOL! Not so! Major problems. Folks you would talk to really had NO IDEA what was going on, which made the whole process even more frustrating. On the bright side, there WERE some changes at the magazine, but there are still CS issues. Get the magazine, it has great content, but know that you might (unfortunately) have to deal with their 'customer service'.

I absolutely love this magazine. It has a lot of great recipes for those who need to eat without gluten in their diet. My only complaint is that you don't get a magazine for each month of the year. I would love to see more magazines per year from Delight!

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Great price on Amazon. My wife is a Celiac and this is such a great gluten free magazine with all kinds of great recipes!

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My daughter was recently diagnosed with a wheat allergy so I purchased this magazine to help her with recipes and understanding what she needs to do to be gluten free. A great support for people with gluten allergies!

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This magazine is excellent for those of us who have to eat gluten free. They have tons of really great recipes that have proven to work. They do make errors here and there. I don't find it to be the most polished of magazines, but it is by far the best there is in this genre and it's worth the very expensive price. $18 is for just 4 issues, but those are issues that you will read cover to cover and save for years making all the recipes and referring to the travel pages. Enjoy! I do!

Psychotherapy Networker

I originally subscribed to this magazine when it was the Family Therapy Networker, and found it very enlightening. I was a new family therapist and felt it was a classy professional magazine, more substantial than Psychology today for practitioners. The focus still is psychotherapy and recent research trends, but broader than just family therapy. It is accessible to laypersons yet intelligent enough for the professional.

Psychotherapy Networker

This magazine is a beautifully done publication. Articles and advertising are very current, interesting, and helpful. Great way to keep abreast of things concerning your mental health career. Topics include: life coaching and other specific trainings, conferences and seminars, products to use or sell, client issues, building a practice, becoming more technology savvy, book reviews of suggested reading, and more. Very good reading at a great price. You can also obtain two CE credits by reading an issue of the magazine--details inside (nice bonus).

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This is a niche magazine with a very intelligent readership. It's beautifully written. It won a National Magazine Award for Public Service one year,

beating out The Atlantic. And it has been nominated for several other National Magazine Awards. These are the

Pulitzer Prizes for magazines. You can count on the Networker to take an intelligent look at a psychology trend,

and then go beyond the basics, to see where the issue sits within the larger culture. This is where the brilliance comes

in. You actually don't have to be a therapist to get a lot out of it. Plus, it isn't a cheerleader for its field. It has good critical thinking.

(Disclosure: I am still listed on the masthead as a features editor, as I used to edit a section and I have written many articles for them in the past. I work as a freelance writer for many publications. But I'd say what I'm saying even if I hadn't. The editor, Rich Simon, is one of the smartest in the business.)

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As a psychologist and family therapist, I must confess that this is the only journal I still sit down to read cover to cover. It's been a great way to stay connected over the years to new developments and trends in the field of therapy, and it also helps create a sense of community with fellow therapists. I love the very human approach taken by many regular contributors who write not as 'experts' but as vulnerable and imperfect 'coping models'. I miss the excellent film reviews from a therapeutic angle by Frank Pittman, who recently passed away; its savvy approach to modern culture is one of the things that help keeps the Networker so relevant.

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I am a child and family therapist and it is my favorite magazine great to get the latest information on up-to-date research and therapy topics well written and informative I have had other therapy magazine subscriptions but let them lapse.

Vogue Italia

I ordered this subscription on February 26, 2007. It is now July 5, 2007 and I have not received an issue.

Two fashion seasons have passed and I am out of $225.00.

This order is placed through a third party called "Magazine Express" NOT Amazon. So, the customer service is disastrous.

You would be better off buying this from your local bookstore (i.e the shelves of Barnes & Noble)

Italian Vogue is very avant garde, and features the world's best photographers, models, and designers. But it's been exactly the same for like 13 years. It even got overplayed a few years back, as the only magazine carried around by top stylists. It's definitely worth a one year subscription, but you may want to reconsider renewing it.

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Fine Woodworking

I've subscribed to this magazine for several years now, though somehow (sadly) I let my subscription expire. Trust me, I'm fixing that!

I've gone from hobbyist to almost-full time professional woodworker over the past few years, making everything from small desk clocks to custom cabinetry and furniture. I'd have to roger up with the other reviewers who've said that, if they could only have one woodworking magazine, this would be it.

Strengths -I don't care where you are in your woodworking skill/experience level; you WILL find something worth a careful read in each issue. I've subscribed to several other woodworking magazines of which that could not be said. Yes, much of what is featured/discussed in these magazines is "high-level" stuff. That's how you grow as a woodworker. There needs to be at least one journal for any profession that takes on the finer points on a consistent basis. THIS IS IT for the profession of woodworking. What's new in water-based finishes (a lot!), veneering, dovetails on a curved drawer front (haven't tried THAT one yet!) -just a few of the kinds of stuff you can expect to find in FWW. Four or five years ago I may have disregarded this magazine as "too much" for me; then again, I cringe at the quality and worksmanship of some of my "handiwork" from that same time!

The contributors to this magazine (I've met a few) are some of the most accomplished, yet down-to-sawdust people you'd ever meet in this business. Most of them are making a living working wood, and are happy to share lessons of both success and failure to help the reader.

Weaknesses? Well, as has been mentioned, you won't find many diagrams or drawings to help you step-by-step. Personally, I don't consider that a drawback, and it's not part of the magazine's mission to provide them. If you're out to basically cut out and assemble a kit every so often, you'll want to look elsewhere.

If, on the other hand, you want to develop your knowledge of one of the oldest crafts in history, to get to the point that you can conceive, design, draft, and build (oh, yeah -and finish!) one -or a hundred -quality works in wood, then this is well worth the annual subscription.

Many have heard the old Copenhagen snuff ad that stated, "Sooner or later it is Copenhagen!". Well, that is exactly how it goes with Fine Woodworking. Some say it isn't filled with enough projects and they are too difficult, some say the articles are way too technical, and even others say that the reviews are too critical. Response: Yes and no. If you don't want your tools to last a lifetime, then the reviews are too critical. If you want a project that you can be proud of your entire life and look at with pride, knowing it will become a family heirloom, then the projects are not to difficult, and after you spend 100 hours building something and another 30 to 50 hours sanding and finishing it, there aren't too few. And if you sincerely believe that ignorance is bliss, and education is the root of evil, then yes the articles are too technical.

For anyone that wants to become the best woodworker they can, then this is the magazine for you. Many start out with other magazines, "BUT SOONER OR LATER IT IS FINE WOODWORKING"!

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I have been a subscriber for many years, but for $34.95, it just isn't worth it anymore. Woodwork is a better magazine with more original content. I just can't see putting out this much for an advertising based magazine. Look elsewhere, like used books for lasting content for much less. The magazine has always had an "east coast" bias, which is fine, but the lack of diversity of the woodworking styles represented is not excusable in a magazine supposed to be covering the furniture building audience. If you ever can get your hands on some of the earlier copies, you will be amazed at the quality of writers and articles then compared with now.

I would recommend Popular Woodworking if you are interested in hand tools and methods. Seems a little fresher these days. Or for a more artistic bent, look at Woodwork magazine.

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Of all the woodworking magazines available to read Fine Woodworking is the best, bar none. It will encourage those with no experience, and inspire those who are serious about woodworking. I have subscribed to this magazine for the past 12 years, and have read many articles that have helped me to become a better woodworker. The old issues I have saved for reference and are timeless in their information.

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Once upon a time there was a magazine published on glossy paper, oversized, and printed in black and white. It covered high-quality, slightly artsy, woodworking and woodworkers. Sometimes it was a little hard for the average home woodworker to relate to some of the content, but it was a compelling magazine none-the-less. Yes, that magazine was Fine Woodworking, in its early incarnation.

Since that time, Fine Woodworking has developed into a mainstay of the woodworking world. Long printed in full color, the magazine continues to offer coverage of some of the more esoteric woodworking designs and woodworkers, but most of the content is geared towards the dedicated woodworking enthusiast. While it seems that most of the content is dedicated to furniture buiilders, there is something for everything in this magazine. If you are looking for home repair and carpentry, you won't find it here, but you will find information on woodworking techniques, tools and finishing.

I subscribe to few magazines because I just don't have the time to read them all. For woodworking , this is the one magazine I will not do without.

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Woodturning

* I buy all the woodturning magazines and feel this is the best one coming out of Europe!

* Most articles provide many pictures to make sure you do it right.

* I read it from cover to cover.

* The price is very high, wish it cost less.

Outstanding in every way.

Recommend it for anyone interested in woodturning, especially for wood turners, and anyone interested in wood turned pieces.

Very educational, interesting, and lovely to look at.

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