# Recommend to me a new magazine subscription **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531 "2012-08-24T21:04:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/1 "2012-08-24T21:04:28Z")
I just received my monthly copy of Smart Money magazine – informing me that this is the last issue. I’ve also been running short of magazines to read at breakfast, so I’m at least 1 magazine shy. So what new magazine subscription would you recommend for me? Here are my current subscriptions: The Atlantic Smart Money (ending this month) Freethought Today Skeptic Free Inquiry Scientific American The Journal of Irreproducible Results (starting soon) Consumer Reports I also get a couple of throw-away magazines that I’ll occasionally browse, but they never even last 1 day: Costco Magazine from Costco (duh), and Via from AAA. My hobbies: movies, investing, skepticism/atheism, science. My philosopy: liberal, humanist. So I’m currently without any financial magazines (after this issue of Smart Money), but your recommendation doesn’t have to be a financial magazine. I’ve never found a magazine about movies that isn’t awful, but if you know of one, I’d be ecstatic. I’ve got plenty of skeptic / atheism magazines, but if there’s one that’s significantly better than the ones I already get, I might consider replacing one of them. A very good general magazine would also be interesting. So, whaddya recommend? Thanks, J. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/2 "2012-08-24T21:08:33Z")
National Geographic? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/3 "2012-08-24T21:09:22Z")
I like Money magazine. It isn’t as intelligent as Smart Money but always on the money for my money. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/4 "2012-08-24T21:09:55Z")
it’s been a long time…heck, a couple decades! but I used to really enjoy [The Utne Reader](http://www.utne.com/) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/5 "2012-08-24T21:10:33Z")
Harper’s: [http://www.harpers.org](http://www.harpers.org) Description: [Harper's Magazine - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper's_Magazine) basically an intelligent literary, political, economic etc magazine. Very meaty- there is a lot to read! Don’t confuse it with Harper’s Bazaar (which is a fashion mag). ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/6 "2012-08-24T21:17:36Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I like Money magazine. It isn’t as intelligent as Smart Money but always on the money for my money. 🙂 I see what you did there. 😃 I haven’t looked at Money in a while, but wasn’t impressed when I did. I’ve had enough “Hot stock/fund/bond/\ of the day” to be skeptical. Buy and hold index funds is more my style, but you can’t sell magazines based on this style. Thanks for the rec! J. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/7 "2012-08-24T21:19:30Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > it’s been a long time…heck, a couple decades! but I used to really enjoy > > [The Utne Reader](http://www.utne.com/) I used to subscribe to Utne many years ago, back in my “big government is trying to keep us down”, counter-culture, conspiracy of the day/week/year phase. What kind of stuff is it putting out these days? J. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/8 "2012-08-24T21:23:39Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Harper’s: [http://www.harpers.org](http://www.harpers.org) > > Description: [Harper's Magazine - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper's_Magazine) basically an intelligent literary, political, economic etc magazine. Very meaty- there is a lot to read! > > Don’t confuse it with Harper’s Bazaar (which is a fashion mag). Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I’ll buy a test issue and see if I like it. J. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/9 "2012-08-24T21:29:23Z")
Any love for [Mental Floss](http://www.mentalfloss.com/)? Is it a secondary Wired? If you’re looking for something with more gravitas, what about the Economist? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/10 "2012-08-24T21:29:33Z")
I’m a periodicals librarian, so I am very picky about what we actually subscribe to at home. We get National Geographic, Archaeology, Cook’s Illustrated, and Game Informer. Oh, and Runner’s World. We used to get Harper’s but I found myself reading less than half of some of the issues. I’d suggest National Geographic or Archaeology. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/11 "2012-08-24T21:46:40Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’m a periodicals librarian,… > > I’d suggest National Geographic or Archaeology. Hmm. Tell me more about National Geographic. My impression from my childhood was that it was full of picture stories about exotic places. How would you characterize its content these days? Thanks, J. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/12 "2012-08-24T22:33:50Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Any love for [Mental Floss](http://www.mentalfloss.com/)? Is it a secondary Wired? > > If you’re looking for something with more gravitas, what about the Economist? Those are the two I was going to recommend. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/13 "2012-08-24T22:49:39Z")
[Granta](http://www.granta.com/). The highpoints for me are the lengthy narrative nonfiction, memoir, and investigative reporting pieces. There are also some literary short stories and photography that are usually enjoyable. Occasional poetry selections I ignore and thus can’t comment on the quality. Since it’s a quarterly, and bound as a book, it’s easy to stay on top of, and convenient to shelve. Each issue is organized around a theme. There’s plenty to sample on their website if you want to get a feel for it. Basically, it’s like three months worth of the type of longer pieces you find in “The Atlantic” with a slightly more British or international POV. No one-page articles or blurb news. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Know\_Nothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f04885/32.png) [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/14 "2012-08-24T23:29:00Z")
Wired, Wired, Wired! I think it’s only 12 bucks. Best magazine ever. Though the New Yorker comes pretty damn close. New Yorker, New Yorker, New Yorker! National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler. Make Magazine. Smithsonian Magazine Mental Floss ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/15 "2012-08-25T00:04:15Z")
I second The New Yorker. If you want another personal finance magazine, then maybe Kiplinger’s. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/16 "2012-08-25T00:34:32Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > I used to subscribe to Utne many years ago, back in my “big government is trying to keep us down”, counter-culture, conspiracy of the day/week/year phase. > > What kind of stuff is it putting out these days? > > J. beats me! did you ever subscribe to Entertainment Weekly? I kind of like reading about media even though I don’t participate in a lot of it. last time I read it, it was full of TV shows I’ve never seen. makes me feel old. but you might like it. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/17 "2012-08-25T01:12:57Z")
I like the Economist for an outside-the-US perspective on things. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/18 "2012-08-25T01:17:30Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > I like the Economist for an outside-the-US perspective on things. The Economist is one I’m considering (along with a few others mentioned in this thread). Just for giggles, I’ve requested free sample copies of the potentials from their websites. All they can say is “no”… 😃 J. ---
**Author:** ![Lightlystarched](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Lightlystarched](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightlystarched)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/19 "2012-08-25T01:44:00Z")
Someone gave me a gift subscription to The Economist. I enjoy it so much, I may have to cough up the dough to renew. Its very good, but pricey, at $150/year for weekly issues. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531/20 "2012-08-25T02:06:08Z")
The only thing I get any more is Wired. I enjoy it immensely and the articles range beyond technology. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-a-new-magazine-subscription/632531.md?page=2)