Magazines:  Just Can’t Resist Them

by

Jennifer Quinn, Reference Assistant

“3 Thoughts that can set you Free.”

“Your Body’s Sexiest Jeans.”

“Don’t Quit; Learn to Love your Job.”

“10 Best Burgers for the Grill & Beyond.”

Are you as enticed as I am yet?  These are just a handful of the snappy phrases that catch my eye as I peruse the magazines at the West Warwick Public Library.  Call it a guilty pleasure or call it an obsession, but I just love magazines.  I love their glossy covers splashed with vibrant colors.  I love their luring snippets that make me feel as if I can do anything in the world.  I even love their ads; they allow me to fantasize about the latest trends, from food and beverages to cars and gadgets.  What I adore most about magazines, however, is that they visually capture me and take me on a journey through an array of subjects that in my ordinary life I would most likely bypass.

I’m not sure when I first fell for periodicals per se.  I do recall having a strong affinity for Highlights for Children magazine; it contained neat stories and I loved the “Hidden Pictures” section.  As a teenager, I really thought that it could not get any better than Tiger Beat, the cool magazine with all my favorite celebrities.  How could it with the likes of Scott Baio, Leif Garrett, and Shaun Cassidy gracing its covers?  As I got older, I relied on trips to the doctor’s office to catch up on the personal lives of the stars by reading People magazine and Entertainment Weekly.  I would even get excited about the free magazine distributed at my local health food store.

It was not until I started working at the West Warwick Public Library, however,  that I realized that until then I’d had limited experiences with magazines and what they had to offer.  For you see, in the far left hand corner of the library exists a haven for magazine addicts.  I think just about every letter of the alphabet is represented with some unique magazine title, including Utne Reader, Vogue, and Zoobooks.  There are magazines devoted to cars and even the people who drive them, hence Car and Driver.  There are magazines that specialize in the earth and its vegetation, like Organic Gardening; magazines that focus on the cosmos like Sky & Telescope; and periodicals that focus on everything in between:  National Geographic and Science News.  Newsweek, Time, and US News & World Report remain constant sources for current events.  There are even journals that address home repair issues, This Old House, or the ever-faithful Consumer Reports, which details the pros and cons of a myriad of consumer items.

While I will always indulge myself with the latest beauty secrets, fashion trends, and relationship advice that you find in such titles as Instyle, Glamour, and Self, the magazines that I find closet to my heart (if you know me it is an easy guess) are Food & Wine, Condé Naste Traveler, and American Heritage.  Amazing recipes and great wine recommendations appease my palate for Food & Wine.  With Condé Nast Traveler, I kick back in a comfy armchair and explore the world.  In one day I visited the Channel Islands, Slovakia, and Libya.  The diverse articles about the people and events in America’s history make American Heritage one of the most rich and interesting magazines around.  One of my favorite articles is simply the story behind Grant Wood’s famous painting, “American Gothic.”

Another reason for my interest in magazines is that it reminds me of the adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words. “  As I scan the covers of the magazines, I can visually get a summary of current events.  For example, on this week’s Sports Illustrated, it is apparent that Kobe Bryant and Shaq O’Neal are not the best of friends.  There is a constant reminder of the upcoming presidential election with both Kerry and Bush campaigning their way across the covers of popular magazine titles, and the Summer Olympics are approaching as Natural History magazine details the ancient games.  Although I try not to judge a book by it cover, when it comes to magazines, the cover is what draws me in.    

Like the quotes that grab your attention on a magazine cover, I hope that this article will encourage you to come into the library and browse through our great selection of magazines. I honestly believe that the library has at least one magazine that could interest any reader of any age.  Another beauty to reading a magazine is that it is noncommittal.  You can pick one up, read a page, put it back, and grab a new one.  In a world filled with commitments and time restraints, this is a nice freedom.  For those who enjoy savoring each glossy page at their leisure, the library offers an assortment of magazines that can be checked out of the library as well.