Maxim (1-year auto-renewal)

Maxim rode the men's magazine gold rush in the late 1990s, leading Stuff, FHM and a host of other PG-13 fare that filled the convenience store racks as Playboy, Penthouse and the hard cores were either dropped completely or were tucked behind the clerk hidden behind individual black plastic wrappers.

Maxim is the last Laddie still in print in the U.S., having witnessed the print burials for FHM (1996 to 2007) and Stuff (1998 to 2007). Maxim's putrefaction is evident to its subscribers, hence the heavily discounted subscriber rates available today. If you were unfortunate enough to receive a gift subscription to Maxim or, worse yet, bought one for yourself, you can no doubt bear witness to the decay. The magazine simply isn't interesting or compelling to read. You could find more of everything women, entertainment, food and fashion in a 10-minute Google search.

Ask yourself, why are you buying a men's magazine?

Want to admire beautiful women? Choose Playboy or Penthouse.

Want to stay healthy and fit? Choose Men's Health (preferred) or Men's Fitness (for younger audiences).

Want to peruse fashion and lifestyle? Choose Esquire or GQ (beware the cologne samples though).

Want a little of everything? Choose Details or Men's Journal.

Pick any of the above options, especially if you are buying a gift subscription. Just avoid Maxim.

Once upon a time this was a good magazine worth reading cover to cover. Unfortunately they've slowly been replacing content with more and more advertising. As the magazine currently stands you could probably finish reading the actual "content" in about an hour. The rest is advertising and BS. This magazine jumped the shark a long long time ago. Just let it die already like it's supposed to.

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I've been a loyal subscriber since 1998 and have always enjoyed the magazine. Something happened to them in early 2006 they've either been bought or have hired a new editor / staff or something. This magazine is absolutely terrible now. All ads, fewer and fewer pictures of babes in each issue, and the hilarious articles are now long gone. My last two issues (Sept and Oct) were in the trash within minutes of pulling them from my mailbox. I'm canceling my subscription.

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I thought the original goal of Maxim was the be the next GQ, but with more skin and less pretense. The skin is there (and, no, guys don't care about the software editors use to enhance the models), but the substance is not.

Like every other checkout stand mag, ads now fill the lion's share of Maxim's pages. Reviews are more and more insipid, covering things many men probably don't care about. The humor is still respectable for the crowd it's aimed at.

I guess Maxim is the magazine for guys who can't read.... or need a hipper supplement to whatever nude mags litter their desks. Bottom line: if you want a skin mag, go with Maxim, but be aware that the level of wit and intelligence is declining all around.

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Maxim aims itself straight at what the straight male psyche likes: laughter, girls, and bizarre subjects (such as "How to Survive Torture", a topic in the September 2001 issue).

... this magazine is not just about sex and bad taste. It celebrates male life, and it does this without apology. Men have apologized far too much; the people who seem to think maleness needs to be "fixed" are maladjusted [people] who would never cut men any slack anyway, no matter how "sensitive" or politically correct men pretend to be, so men might as well party. Maxim is the technical journal of this attitude!

Maxim and some other men's magazines (like Men's Health) have discovered a formula that works to keep men reading: To-the-point articles thoroughly interleaved with humor and banter; lots of photographs and descriptive drawings; and topics ranging from sex and seduction to war and first aid. Lots of practical information and lots of truly excellent photos of sexy women that are not raunchy.

If I could only read one men's magazine, this would be it.

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Chasseur D Images

If you can read French, this is a great magazine for enthusiasts of photography, either film-based (argentique) or digital (numerique). If you struggle to read French, your visual reward is still ample. Articles are lavishly illustrated and technically detailed. They cover all photography from every angle. Aesthetics of composition, lighting, and such are covered with many examples, including portfolios of both pros and amateurs. You'll find lots of comparison shopping; with markets internationalized, price comparisons are mostly applicable even in the U. S. Every issue has many technical comparisons of films, cameras, lenses. There are abundant articles on techniques in camera, in the darkroom, and on the computer. Other articles cover locations well, OK, it helps to be in France, but that's true apart from photography!...and they have had articles about the U. S. A subscription is pricey, but the magazine is huge in both page format and page count, and a real feast for the eyes. I was debating subscribing, given how complicated it would be from the U. S., but Amazon makes it easy.

Alabama Gardener

I just moved to Alabama from Wisconsin 2 years ago....BIG difference. I had no idea which plants grew here, what certain bugs were, etc. I have learned so much from this magazine, that I go to it all the time for information. I also had the best garden ever this past year. This magazine is really worth your money!

Finally found a gardening book for my geographic location. Very helpful in gardening tips, local plants and much more information.

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Also subscribe to Virginia Gardner and enjoy both. Articles and photographs are great with good paper stock so that many can read and save the issues.

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Flex (1-year auto-renewal)

I like this magazine a lot better than Muscular Development magazine. MD claims to be the biggest magazine, but that's to their disadvantage. MD is too hardcore, but after a while all the articles contain the same content. All of the pages are a lot of the same old stuff. Flex magazine is new and fresh every month. It is a little bit commercialized, but it makes it able to be read by either male or female workout enthusiasts/bodybuilders. It is filled with a lot of unorthodoxed workout routines to help add some spice to a plateauing workout. I used to subscribe to Flex, but switched to see what all the hype was about on all the other magazines. Now I'm back and I would definitely recommend this magazine to anyone who works out.

Flex is a great magazine. I'm not afraid to say it, but what I am afraid to say is that every person in this magazine is on about a thousand dollar a month steroid budget. I liked the training tips given, however, and I think that the routines are well-rounded, and give people much more muscle. If you are an incredibly intense musclehead, then this magazine is for you. If you are intrested in looking good rather then having "sick" biceps then try a magazine like Muscle and Fitness, a more fitness diversified magazine.

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I am a tiny female who get this magazine due to the fact these guys KNOW what they are talking about when it comes to training, diet and form. Form is everything and it takes a long time to build a foundation for body building with heavier weights. I have learned more from this mag. than all the women's mags. put together. What works for them will work for me, just use less weights. I have begun training more seriously since I have found all the great info in this mag.

For GUYS, this is a MUST to see what the Big Boys are achieving. Really accurate, invaluable research and info.

SJW from Michigan

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Magazine isn't as good as it used to be. They have definitely increased the amount of ad space they use.

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Ok so I'll start off by saying this magazine could be great, because of the talent they have signed. But after about 6 issues, and two I didn't receive, which I will touch on later, I realized this magazine was total bull. I have seen so called interview after interview in their magazine contradicted by real life interviews online.

The magazine also tries to push products that have zero effect on your body, but a dent in you wallet, such as no2. No2 is not real, you can't effect that by taking crap in a bottle,.sorry but I went to college, I know better.

The service is garbage. They didn't send me two issues and both times gave me extensions on the magazine, and after the second time that they refused to send me the issue, the Mr Olympia issue mind you, I canceled my subscription.

This is vague but the experience was just bad, while my other magazine comes through every month, and delivers, this one falls well short.

About me, I'm 6'4, 270lbs, been training for 5 years, at 23 I have 4 years college experience which is in multiple fields, including biochemistry. This magazine didn't make sense to me, a natural bodybuilder, who educated himself and have sacrificed so much, you want an education, stay away from this magazine and read some stuff from Dorian Yates, his teachings are great for naturals.

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Das Fenster

I've subscribed for several years just to maintain my German language reading skill and to find sources for German goods. Even the men in my family like to read it because the variety of articles are bound to interest almost everyone at some time. Highly recommended. Too bad that most other German language periodicals are now defunct.

This is a general home periodical for German-speaking US residents and does a good job of connecting people here with the "old country". I got it as a gift to my parents who live in a retirement home

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Popular Woodworking (1-year)

This magazine surprises me. It looks like just another mass media pulp magazine, but it's really solid on the inside. These guys actually go to the shop and do woodworking. They are enthusiastic, thorough, honest, and funny. The articles seem to aim toward the moderately experienced amateur, but there's plenty of stuff for beginners. And the price can't be beat. This and Fine Woodworking are my favorites put them together and you have everything you need.

While I appreciate tool reviews and tips and techniques for woodworking, what I like most in a woodworking magazine are projects which I find interesting and attractive. I have found Popular Woodworking to be the woodworking magazine that meets my expectations in this area.

Yes, there are tool reviews, which are particularly useful when considering the purchase of a new tool (with prices these days, we need all the help we can get) and there are plenty tips and techniques.

But I do enjoy the projects the most. Don't get me wrong, not every issue has a project I want to tackle (thank goodness, or I wouldn't get anything else done), but I will usually find something that I want to make or that illustrates a method of work which will help me with other woodworking projects. Also, the projects are not just limited to pieces of "fine" furniture, they also include things like functional outdoor woodworking and practical furniture.

This is one of only two woodworking magazines to which I regularly subscribe. If you like woodworking projects, you may like this magazine.

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This magazine does well for the regular joe woodworker geared to a garage shop or small separate shop (less towards a pro or highend furniture maker, but plenty of tutorials to help get you there.)...nice to have tips and tricks that i would actually use, and a decent companion website.

four stars only because they need to do more of what they do best and drop the tool issue and replace with a regular issue.

as with all wwing mags it is only 6-7 issues per year.

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It's very easy to write off Popular Woodworking without even reading it. One tends to assume that it is going to be the Readers Digest of woodworking. One imagines countless overly simplified articles on how to build bookcases or select the right shop vacuum. Actually, this couldn't be further from the truth.

Admittedly, Popular Woodworking is not a high-end magazine. It is for the moderately funded woodworker who wants to get the best out of his or her tools without a huge outlay. It's also for folks who like a wide coverage of the woodworking field. Plans, tools, jigs, wood, techniques, and workshops.

In going through a recent issue repeatedly, I kept finding little articles that I have missed on earlier readings. This is a compliment to the editors in that they try to answer many needs. On the other hand, it indicates that magazine layout and structure is a bit haphazard and cramped. You just have to keep perusing it until everything sinks in. Take the time to do so and I think you will agree the Popular Woodworking is worthwhile reading.

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I have to admit I enjoy reading about woodworking almost as much as doing it just remember I did say "almost"!

This magazine is among my top five favorite magazines on the topic and I have to say that I enjoy it greatly. The articles are well written and the photography is very good, which when combined equates to my clear understanding of their project plans, etc. This is of course crucial for any how-to magazine and there are few disappointments here. I find that there is almost always one project in every issue that I make plans to build "someday". Though I don't get to all of them, it is nice to have so many projects to choose from!

I also really appreciate the tool reviews. Between Popular Woodworking and my other four favorites (Fine Woodworking, Wood, American Woodworker, and Workbench) nearly every type of woodworking tool is reviewed at least once every 18 months.

Overall, this is a solid magazine with good content and a clear purpose and I feel it is well worth the money.

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HGTV Magazine (1-year)

Got a subscription for Christmas and received the 2nd issue published. Didn't get the Jun-Jul issue. They said they were out and my subscription would be extended, just as a previous reviewer mentioned. So, in 8 months, I've received ONE issue. It wasn't great either. Not really worth keeping. It's late August now and I don't have the September issue yet. Hope it comes soon. Oh, and btw I just got a renewal email....hahahaha AS IF! Not gonna happen. Too bad, because I like the channel but the magazine may have launched prior to being ready for prime time!! Save your money. Buy a magazine with a good reputation, consistency and more than 5 issues planned for a year.

If you like to look at a lot of pictures for a "look", this might help. For free, you can leaf through the Crate/Barrel (and others) catalogs. Some of the articles are interesting, but at the end of my first issue, nothing had been added to my honeydo list. Or my dream list. Or my "time to throw this out" list.

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As a fan of the HGTV program, I looked forward to this magazine. The first issue was fine, but the second was only so-so; although I tend to hoard this type of magazine, this one went into the trash. That was in February. Since then, no more issues. Missed the June issue and was told there's no more inventory, so my subscription will be extended by a month. All this seems to me like a publication that is not ready for prime time. I'll stick to House Beautiful and let this one go!

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This magazine has not came to my mail box, still waiting.Would love to get thi but so far no go.

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While reading the magazine, I wanted to go out and shop for decorations, new furniture and paint !!! I think I'll start on one thing at a time though! My house is always clean, I have always had "cleaning issues"... anyone can drop by at anytime and I'm prepared. So, I saw myself in Sabrina Soto's cleaning segment. Nice to know I'm not alone! Ha!!!

This magazine has given me so many low cost ideas to change things in the home for the seasons!

Thank you!

Sally Humkey

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Flower Arranger

The Flower Arranger is produced by NAFAS (the National Association of Flower Arranging Societies) in the UK and as such reflects the in-house nature of its contents. Unless you are 'in the know' you are left wondering what it is all about.

The quality of the pictures of the arrangements are very mixed and although there have been recent alterations to the layout, the magazine itself is very stiff and formal. Any teaching or reference points tend to be very basic and seem to be aimed at beginners. Few references are made to up-to-date designs and, if there are, there are no real explanations about concepts.

This is a magazine suitable for members of the organisation it represents and is very formal in nature.

As a subscriber to several flower related magazines from across the world I consider this magazine a valuable and interesting read, and one which I would certainly recommend investing in. The Flower Arranger often showcases designs which are `fairly traditional' and perhaps `contrived.', but these are interspersed with other more 'of the moment' design ideas, and numerous other interesting articles about all kinds of related subjects. There are all kinds of foibles and controversies in this very emotive and personal industry/pastime. For example, I believe the term 'contemporary' is sometimes confusing and always changing as often there is nothing more appropriate than a simple collection of materials displayed in an appropriate setting yet it is fitting and 'of the moment' so must be contemporary but is it??!! Whilst the Flower Arranger may veer towards `safe' and `arranged' rather than `outlandish' or `startlingly simple' there is always plenty to glean from the multitude of contributors. Sure there are always arrangements and articles which do not fit in with your personal approach or interest in the subject, but if viewed objectively, they will aid the discovery, learning curve and development of your personal style, which is surely what it's all about? Often looking at a piece of work and working out why you don't like it is as valuable as looking at a design which you find enchanting because, as with any art form, if the work has caused a reaction from the viewer it has been successful. And thinking about the how, why and what ifs is how we all discover, learn and explore the never-ending possibilities of combining the treasures which nature has to offer to make an important and lasting visual contribution to our fast-moving, ever-changing lives. There is something for everyone in this magazine.

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Having not seen a copy after many months of waiting, I would not recomend the magazine to anyone. Send the magazine!

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Yankee (1-year auto-renewal)

Yankee magazine is a magazine that's over brimming with nostalgia.

Everything is New England quaint. I even like the advertisements of handmade jewelry and furniture.

The recipes are good. I really love the section that highlights a specific area or town and the most scenic routes. I like the pictures of houses and gardening and the regular columnist who identifies antiques.

I am feeling like a Maineiac ever since reading a description of a clock in someones' review.

You'll get a lot out of this magazine. Not one page goes to waste with me. I enjoy it from cover to cover.

Yankee has been around as long as I can remember. It's pages are full of wonderful New England stories, travel guides and photos. They have changed their format from a small magazine to the larger size, which I personally don't like as well. (the smaller size easily fit in a purse or tote) Their "Swap" section is a great read. Looking for real estate? Many homes are featured along with vacation properties. There are fiction stories and festival reviews. Makes a great gift for New England lovers.

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Yankee is always interesting and always has something of interest to an old back woods yankee. It is always interesting to hear and see what is going on in neighboring states. Sometimes however, the income level is not in my range since our income is not what they make in Mass or other parts on Southern New England. I enjoy stories about the history. Sometime you come across history and no one knows that it is or was there, like old towns and farm steads.

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I live in Texas but have always loved New England, and try to visit as often as I can. Yankee magazine is such a treat for anyone who loves the New England region, and is filled with interesting articles on New England travel (e.g. the beaches of South County); feature articles on the region's artists, local designers; food articles, and many more.

There are lots of beautiful photographs of the area, which is one of the reasons I love this magazine so much. The diversity, the rich heritage, and history of the area makes for such varied reading that there's always something to discover among the pages of Yankee. I love this magazine!

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I had no idea that Yankee magazine would be renewed if I did take initiative to cancel it. I thought I was getting only the one year of the magazine that I ordered. There was no reminder. I DO NOT WANT the second year of the magazine but apparently I'm stuck with it. The only email I did get was not a reminder of renewal, but a statement telling me that I am renewed, like it or not. I tried to cancel the second year and I was told I couldn't because it was "shipped". Well the delivery date is September 30, 2013. If Amazon had honest business practices, they certainly would honor my request for something that would be delivered four months into the future. Amazon sent me a "we're sorry . . . " automatic email directing me to Synapse and they, in turn, directed me to Amazon with: Unfortunately, your request needs to be handled directly by Amazon." I loved using Amazon. But Amazon's business practices are getting pretty shaky.

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Sailing World (1-year auto-renewal)

Sailing World is a beautiful, well-written magazine! It comes with gorgeous pictures and coverage of international, college and local races and regattas, as well as contains many technique articles complete with pictures and diagrams to reinforce or introduce solid techniques to a beginning or even experienced sailor. When I can't get out to sail, I turn to Sailing World to bring the world of sailing to me! It always has excellent coverage of America's Cup as well as other local regattas in California, where I live. It is timely and the information is always very current and holds the latest news in tech issues, new products on the market and current standings. Excellent coverage and exclusive articles that I haven't seen anywhere else. This publication helps you concentrate on being the best sailor that you can, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro. I recently took up sailing a few years ago and this has been like my sailing bible!

I get three "boating" magazines: Sailing, Sail and Soundings (a general boating magazine highly recommended). Each one has a special place on my coffee table.

The strength of this magazine is, first and foremost, the sections titled: `Perry on Design' and the `Used Boat Notebook' (and its accompanying side bar `Value Guide'). `Perry on Design' covers briefly the designs of the new offering hitting the market. `Used Boat Notebook' is the "Car & Driver" review for used boats: much more thorough than `Perry'. This outstanding section covers: Impressions, Construction, What to Look for, On Deck, Down Below, Engine, Under Way and a succinct conclusion that raps it up This section alone is the main reason I get this magazine. Other reasons are the magazine's beautiful color photos and a section called `Boat Doctor', information on technique and safety.

If you are a sailor, serious or a wannabe, you can't go wrong with "Sailing". Strongly recommended.

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If you only have time or space for one sailing magazine, this would be it! From the professional to the enthusiastic beginner, Sailing World is a must for the sailing afficianado. Where else can you find a balanced, well-written magazine that not only covers collegiate sailing, new products, America's Cup, international sailing, new boats, expert techniques, and intelligent editorials. I have found that other sailing publications try to be "too much" and they lose their focus in either large and countless advertisements to pay for their large format, or juxtapose a beginner's article against a highly technical article for experts, leaving the reader confused. This is the only sailing magazine I subscribe to and will continue to. You must have this magazine!

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Sailing World Magazine keeps you in touch with the pulse of sailing. It covers all the racing, from collegiate to the Americas Cup. Features articles every month on the latest in the racing rules, major events, how to make your boat go as fast as possible and new noteworthy boats. If you are passionate about sailing, you'll LOVE this magazine.

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I find this magazine hit or miss. Some months there are helpful and interesting articles other months nothing much at all. There are too many advertisements and reviews of products and vessels but then is is probably what brings in the cash, right.

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