Disney Pixar Cars

Now, as I write this review, let me make it clear that I'm an actual subscriber... with no kids... and I don't exactly fit in the "boys ages 5-9" category. When you subscribe to Cars Magazine, you'll find yourself fully immersed in the world of the beyond-incredible films and shorts. It's a delight to read and an absolutely awesome publication. I'll give you a tour of all the features of the magazine and its many pros and its few cons.

Each issue usually begins with either a "Close Up" or a "Road Trip". Close Ups are interesting, well-put-together profiles of various Cars characters. The folks at Pixar have a story for every vehicle, even if they have less than a minute of screentime, and it's a fun collage and fact-listing of the charries. If you've spent a lot of time looking at Meet The Cars or the Character Bios online, you won't learn anything new, but it's awesome all the same. Road Trips are one of my fave features -these are usually interviews or articles on what's going on in the "World of Cars". Such as a recent interview with Rob Gibbs, director of the Tall Tales shorts and an article on Cars Land. They're really good at being informative and entertaining, although they aren't in every issue.

Usually following this are the games, which are prevalent in every issue, multiple times an issue. The games are fun, though the majority are simple enough for a 5-9-year-old. Though I must say, some of the games were challenging enough to have me stumped! :)

The magazine's other major section is the comics. There usually range from 2-3 comics per issue, the first two usually longer and the third shortest. They're really well-written and on-canon with the Cars series. Some of the highlights include extensions of Mater's Tall Tales and new stories about some of the lesser-known characters, plus new stories of familiar characters (such as Francesco and Holley). They're one of the highest points of the publication!

Then there's Cars World, which delves into fascinating factoids about vehicles, racing, and car technology. I've learned a lot from Cars World that I never would've known!

And finally, there's Cars Club, the place where kids can send in their Cars artwork and creations.

The rest of the magazine is usually heavily populated with games, crafts, coloring pages, and a pull-out poster in every issue. From a physical standpoint, the flaw with the posters and some of the craft stuff is that cutting out or removing the pages will damage your magazine. Most children's magazines will have something on the back of the "removable" stuff to keep from messing up the rest of the magazine, but unfortunately, there are a lot of super-cool posters that I won't be able to take out without losing a couple of games pages in the process. I hope they address this issue in the future, and, by the time you read this, it may have been. Bottom line, the magazine's a ton of fun! If you have a Cars-centric kid in your household, then they'll most likely enjoy it. If you're a Cars-centric teen/adult, then just keep in mind that it IS meant as a children's magazine; I enjoy it primarily because I'm a Pixar geek and I enjoy kids' publications. If that's you, then you'll enjoy it. If you're looking for something a little more in-depth about the diecast-collecting hobby or the making of the movies, Cars Magazine isn't that (or at least isn't that yet!). The price isn't that great, but it'll make for some serious smiles when you pull Mater and Lightning out of your mailbox... whether you're nine or nineteen or ninety!

My little 3 year old grandson wanted mail just like his big brother and he picked this out. A great magazine for little ones and he loves that it has his name on the address. Great stories and puzzles to do with your children. You would not be dissapointed and neither will they.

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Ride

RIDE is by far the best motorcycle magazine out there. I look forward to their product reviews each month. Their annual POWER survey of bikes is unique. British, so costly but worth it

Vogue (1-year)

As Vogue documents the hottest looks from the world's best designers, the entire fashion industry holds its breath in anticipationthen scrambles to interpret what Vogue dictates: the magazine is that influential. If you're looking for good, practical advice on cosmetics or picking the right style swimsuit for your body type, you're better off with Glamour or Marie Claire. What you'll find in Vogue is not really "practical" but rather high falutin', haute couture kind of stuff. Compared to other popular women's magazines, what distinguishes Vogue from the rest is how it successfully situates the fashion/beauty business as a vital, viable and artistic component of culture and society. So you're not just getting fashion layouts to look at, but also great articles on writers, architects, actors, art exhibits, and so on. Most everything pictured in Vogue is of course, out of the average person's price range, and the overall magazine's tone makes no apologies for this snobbery. But I still think it's a beautiful magazine to look at for its artistic vision, and for well-written articles on culture.

Oh, I love Vogue and its flashy, flaunting of fashion, its articles lauding vacuous socialites, "it-girl" actresses and the occasional over-40 writer/power moguls, and pages of outerspace-priced clothing on willowy martian-looking mannekins (who we all know now on a first name basis). Really, I love it! Okay, well, it is a bit in love with itself and its authority on fashion, but really ladies, fashion won't save the world, no matter how many charity balls you cover. It's hard to get as worked up over a (last season) pair of ostrich shoes or clutch purse, and enter a mosh pit at some Barney's outlet sale at your "insider's" behest. It really could whip some impressionable young people into a froth of rampant materialism! Makes one wonder if those bound-in perfume samples are starting to smell like "advertorial!"

Vogue does have its merits, including great photography, the occasional thought-provoking article by a guest writer, and bits on designers lurking on the fringes of affordability. Still, it's a fun bit of eye-candy and fantasy/vicarious luxury living each month. Yes, I do have a subscription, but I read it with a boulder of salt lodged firmly in my cheek.

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This month's issue of Vogue (July 2008, with Nicole Kidman on the cover) clarified for me the significant drop in quality at American Vogue over the years. The magazine has reduced in size, now smaller than US letter paper. The spine measures less than 1/4 inch. The printing and paper quality are low. The content of the July issue, in particular was watery. Vogue used to contain expansive descriptions of trends and details, but if the last few issues are an indicator, they must have fired a lot of writers. What exists now is not much more than product placement ads. The photo pages are few in number as well. I know that there is much more to fashion now that what was in Vogue lately. What's going on? Maybe there needs to be a change in editorial leadership. In the meanwhile, sadly I probably won't renew.

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Vogue is full of ads. I pick this magazine up and I don't start getting to the articles until I am a fourth through the thing. I find the articles quite boring and not informative at all. One good thing about Vogue is the photos are pretty artistic and you get an idea of how fashion is art, but that is about all I get out of it. So, if you like advertisments this mag is for you.

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So I usually get magazines through the mail (old-fashioned way) and overall I had gotten great results. I believed that if I got a magazine subscription through internet it would be easier and faster. Was I wrong! First of all it took almost 2 months to get the first magazine, and when I did I got a 2 month old magazine, and up to now I have yet to receive the august issue which came out to stores almost three weeks ago. I definitely DO NOT recommend getting magazine subscriptions through anywhere else besides the ancient, yet effective way of mail.

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Dell Horoscope - a Personal Daily Guide for Everyone

...bar none. And that includes The Mountain Astrologer. I'm a semi-pro and what I like best about this magazine is its appeal to all levels of astrological learning on FUN, practical and timely topics (Sun Sag/ASC Cap) written by knowledgable and well respected professionals. But with the skyrocketing costs of a physical subscription, I've had to switch over to having it delivered to my Kindle. For those of you considering this option, I must advise you that some of the important features at the back of the magazine are missing, like the monthly ephemeris, the daily aspect guide, etc. This is not a problem if, like me, you have an emphemeris or professional software. I still miss it, though...but am lucky to find the time to read each issue. The magazine also contains articles in varying lengths from quite lengthy to one page. My preference lies in between, but there is surely something for everyone. Enjoy!

I have always recommended this magazine to anyone who is interested in learning Astrology. If you're just starting out, you'll find wonderful articles every month by some of the more famous Astrologers and there is insight on every page. There are usually many up to date topics to read about and great book reviews.

It takes a great deal of money to put an Astrological Library together, so in the meantime, this magazine will give you loads of interesting chapters to absorb and astrological reference. Although I am a seasoned Astrologer with bookcases full of books, I still learn something every month from Dell Horoscope. Highly recommended indeed !!

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Advertising Age

FYI, as of Feb. 2010, it's $50 cheaper to just subscribe from the adage website.

Advertising Age gives you a birds-eye view of what's happening in the world of advertising and marketing. A good amount of news, trends, and other information is packed into dozens of small blurbs, sidebars, and page-long articles. While I enjoy the content, I have two complaints. The physical format is in-between a newspaper and magazine meaning it is printed on glossy paper and staple bound on the left edge, but it is large and floppy. The other annoying feature is the number of articles that start on the first few pages but are continued somewhere in the back.

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Cooking Light (1-year auto-renewal)

Cooking Light used to be one of my favorite magazines because it had genuinely light recipes that were both healthful and tasty. Over the years the recipes somehow got more and more fattening and the articles more boring, but I still always found recipes I liked in every issue. I never liked the "lifestyle" articles as they took up the entire first half of the magazine and were a complete bore, in my opinion. But still, it was one of my favorite magazines.

I had let my subscription lapse for several months when I got an invitation from Amazon for a $5.00 rate for one year. It was too good to pass up so I went for it. Well, when I got my first issue it became immediately apparent to me that this was not the same magazine that I had known and loved for so long. I then learned that the entire editorial staff was fired last year and a new one put in its place. That, plus the entire format of the magazine had been completely overhauled.

Don't get me wrong Some of the changes are positive and I think CL can theoretically benefit from some sort of redesign. I like the new color photo with each recipe, plus the type fonts and layout are in general more up to date and pleasant to look at. In addition, the "lifestyle and fitness" section that ate up the entire first half of the magazine is gone and the recipes are more spread out amongst more concise, "bullet point" style one page articles. That to me is both good and bad The layout is better and the boring stuff is gone from the first half of the magazine, but the information in the new "sound byte" articles is not really that interesting nor informative and at times even the longer articles are just ho-hum. Plus, gone are the letters to the editor and some of the reader input articles that were a part of the old format.

On top of that, the recipes themselves show no sign of getting any lighter. In fact they seem to be getting heavier and heavier That is, more calories and fat in every serving than ever before. And the types of recipes are heavily weighted towards comfort foods, the kinds of which are impossible to get down to anything below 20 grams of fat per serving. 20 grams of fat per serving, people!!! Is this light cooking? I don't think so! At least if you're going to make a magazine about light cooking, give people what you say you're giving them. I can find 20 gram of fat recipes in any cooking magazine. Why do I need this one? I'm not asking for ridiculously low counts, but something hovering about 10 grams of fat would be fine. What made Cooking Light a great magazine is that it was different from all the rest. Now it is just more of the same. Ho hum, I can get that anywhere.

The irony of it is that the other day I found the November issue of CL in my doctor's office. Inside was a "sound byte" article encouraging us to "make peace with those few extra pounds". I guess this is some sort of propaganda to justify the higher fat and calorie counts in their supposedly "light" recipes. And the truly ironic part is that if I make those recipes I surely WILL have to make peace with a few extra pounds, LOL!

By the way, what's up with people rating the magazine without even having read it yet? I don't get that. If you haven't read it yet, you can't critique it. And by the way, Amazon was very clear that it could take up to 10 weeks or so to receive your first issue. Duh, that is only par for the course with magazines in general in my experience.

I have been a huge fan of COOKING LIGHT magazine for the past few years. I started reading it when I would visit my folks over the holidays. I borrowed a copy of one of my mom's CL issues and loved the results I got when I tried the Korean Bolgoi (grilled strips of beef in a sweet, salty marinade). I was immediately hooked on the magazine. I eventually started receiving a subscription to COOKING LIGHT. I have been a subscriber to both BON APPETIT and GOURMET magazines, let me just say that I think COOKING LIGHT is vastly superior to those magazines (although I do like reading them) because the recipes are not so high end (i.e expensive) and involves expensive, hard to find ingredients. I also enjoy the health tips and articles the magazine provides. I have tried a lot of recipes from COOKING LIGHT and they are all delicious as well as healthy. This magazine is not just about eating healthy but staying healthy too.

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I've been receiving Cooking Light Magazine for about 8 years now. It was my Bible. I cook from scratch A LOT and everyone knew that every single, solitary recipe I made came from Cooking Light...until now. Over the course of the last year the magazine took a turn for the worse when it comes to providing good, solid, HEALTHY recipes! Healthy, Light...that is the point of the magazine, isn't it? I can find recipes in every other cookbook out there that have dinners with 15+ grams of fat for one small serving! For instance, in the most recent Dec 2010 edition there is a Truffled Wild Mushroom lasagna. Sounds delish, right? Well, why wouldn't it be when one small serving has 424 calorie and 18g of fat!

And in an effort to include different types of foods, there is often page after page of obsecure recipes that ask for items that are very expensive and hard to find (and I live in Chicago next to the country's largest Whole Foods!)

If you are interested in 'cooking light' may I suggest the magazine 'Healthy Cooking'. I've only received 2 magazines so far but seriously folded over nearly every page in the magazines indicating the recipes I want to try!

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Just a warning to would be subscribers to Cooking Light Magazine. Cooking Light (1-year)

We have subscribed to Cooking Light for several years and have always renewed our subscription by mail paying by check. So it was with some surprise when we received from Cooking Light what was titled an "Automatic Renewal Program" notice. It stated that our subscription that was scheduled to expire in four months would be automatically renewed in six weeks with a charge to our credit card unless we took our time to telephone them and cancel before that date. When we telephoned Cooking Light they informed me that since they did not have a credit card on file they would have simply automatically renewed the subscription anyway as described in the letter and "billed me accordingly" and I would be liable for the bill, if we had not telephoned to cancel the automatic renewal.

We not only cancelled the automatic renewal but were upset enough about their business practices to cancel the remaining 4 months on our subscription. (The phone call and cancellation took place on the date of this review and our subscription was paid up through the March issue) We were informed that since they had already "labeled the February issue" they would only refund one issue and we should expect a check for $2.00 in the mail. Note our experience in relationship to the statement above about Amazon's cancellation policy for this magazine which says a full refund will be made for "unshipped issues." Simply not true.

In any event, buyers should be very cautious about giving a magazine their credit card for payment as it will likely lead to automatic renewals in the future, and, in the unfortunate case of Cooking Light Magazine, they will obligate you for automatic renewals in the future even if they do not have your credit card on file.

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I subscribed to Cooking Light for almost ten years, and thought the magazine was fantastic. I loved that the recipes were healthy and delicious at the same time, and I would try at least two or three dishes from every issue. Every single recipe I tried turned out great. I even bought gift subscriptions for friends and family.

Then everything changed. Cooking Light became far more of a lifestyle magazine and far less of a cooking magazine. I tolerated this up to a point, until I realized there were fewer recipes that appealed to me in each issue, and the ones I did make were disappointing at best. The complete design overhaul was the last straw half the time, I can't tell the recipes from the ads anymore!

When my subscription ran out a couple of months ago, I didn't even consider renewing it. If Cooking Light ever returns to what it used to be, I'll be among the first to sign up. Until then, I'll spend my money on magazines that actually focus on food.

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