giving up heat, grazia, and the sun newspaper - AIBU in asking...

[superv1xen]

...intelligent mnetters to suggest some alternative reading material for me?

i am mortified to admit to being a regular sun reader so feel free to flame me for that alone.

my local shop sells only the sun, the mirror, the star and the daily express (says it ALL about the area i live in tbh ) so i bought the express this morning instead, but found it to be mostly like the sun but with slightly longer words. and no dear deirdre

i have realised heat and grazia and their ilk serve only to make me feel like shit about myself from all different angles "try this diet!" "wear these clothes - except only if you are a 20 yo model" "look at these beautiful people you could never look like in a million years" etc etc ad nauseum

so. any suggestions?

[SmethwickBelle]

Private Eye - get a subscription and you get it every couple of weeks in the post - funny and intelligent. It is my bath reading of choice.

[Pinkjenny]

I have stopped taking all my regular weekly mags too. I used to buy OK!, Heat, Grazia and Look every week. Have subscribed to a few monthly magazines that I like, both fashion and home and have stopped with all the sensationalised rubbish.

[Thingumy]

express is just as bad as the Sun.

I buy the I (Independent) paper which is excellent for 20p

Red is a fairly decent read for a magazine.

[TheBolter]

I don't bother with magazines other than Sunday supplements, but I do read lots of books. Infinitely more rewarding than magazines. (I'm not a highbrow intellectual by the way, in fact I was once a complete magazine junkie, but like you became disillusioned with them!)

Can you get the Independent delivered? Its unbiased reporting seems to respect the intelligence of its readership!

[Ooopsadaisy]

Join the library.

I gave up rags and mags years ago.

[TheBolter]

yy, 20p fab value for Independent.

[Georgimama]

I still love Grazia and refuse to give it up. I don't buy any other women's magazines. I also read Private Eye regularly, but not every issue. I read Telegraph/Guardian/Independent and Daily Mail online.

[ChessyEvans]

For news you can just look at BBC news online or a 'decent' newspaper online (except the Times which you now sadly have to subscribe to). Independent is quite good for a middle of the road viewpoint, telegraph is right wing and Guardian is left. Or if you want proper 'paper' paper then maybe ask the shopkeepers if they would be prepared to start getting one of those in (in which case I'd recommend the Times)?

I don't read magazines as not interested in celeb stuff and as you say, the articles just make me feel rubbish about myself! What are you interested in? Maybe you could consider getting a subscription to a magazine that is in your area of interest - they will deliver so you don't need to get one that's stocked in your local shop.

[superjobeespecs]

i used to be religious about my heat magazine in fact even before heat (shock horror there were celeb mags BEFORE heat?!!) lol i think it was star it went bust about 2002, anyway about 3/4 years ago i gave them all up completely including the sun.. now i read the local areas paper full of interesting local news and also iv got to admit i love the metro when im on the bus/train i think its great a good all rounder has a bit of everything instead of ALL politics and world news or ALL celebs fashion and diet been meaning to buy i at my newsagents seems from here i should im gonna pick one up this afternoon :)

[fedupofnamechanging]

I quite like Easy Living and Red.

Got a subscription to Harpers. It was on a £12 for a whole year offer. If anyone is thinking of doing this then please don't. I'd never read it before and it is wall to wall adverts and totally inane 'articles'. Despite only spending £12, I feel robbed!

[fedupofnamechanging]

That said, I saw an advert for a gorgeous Cartier ring. When I get a spare £60,000......

[superjobeespecs]

forgot full stops existed for a mo there.. my apologies lol

[BarbaraBar]

I read The Week, Private Eye, various Running Mags and the Times.

I don't do women's mags - they're just all a bit meh and samey imo. However, it does mean I have no idea who anyone is when I watch "celebrity" Total Wipeout/Hole in the Wall with my children....

[MrsCarriePooter]

We have a New Yorker subscription - it's great (and it's not all as American as you might think, and you can pretend you are living vicariously in New York by planning which new restaurants you'll go to in the listings section).

And also Vanity Fair if you want something a bit more than Heat/Grazia etc - has some "quality" celebrity stuff and other newsy articles, although there are still bits which are "posh people go to parties" which are a bit Hello for me. Again, you can get cheap subscriptions.

[BornInAfrica]

Private Eye is a great read and fab for seeing current affairs from a different angle. I too no longer buy Heat, Grazia, OK, Hello or any of the other ten tons of shit I used to buy! Sometimes get stuff like Olive, TasteItalia and Good Food.

[fishie]

i get Oprah and Bon Appetit, US mags aer much cheaper.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

I read the sun too!!

I dont like Heat and Grazia BUT I do like Now and Closer...also like Take A Break and Chat!!!

Red is quite good too!

[montmartre]

Private Eye, Economist, LRB, Spectator, New Scientist.

[MissVerinder]

Your Cat magazine is good.

[somewherewest]

I read the Guardian and the Torygraph online (for freee!) on the basis that the truth may lie somewhere in between. I stopped buying a newspaper a few years back because all the UK ones are equally crap and biased.

[Itsjustafleshwound]

The Week is quite good summary of news

I stopped Heat a long time ago - it was a tongue in cheek mag at first, but just got too trashy for my liking.

Good Housekeeping (I know, I know but the recipes are good)
Easy Living

I am a real magazine addict and need my monthly fix ...

[shineoncrazydiam0nd]

I used to have a shocking addiction to magazines but managed to kick the habit a few years back. I now have Easy Living on subscription and I read the DM during the week [ and I don't care what you lot think about that... ] and the Guardian on a Saturday.

[bigbadbarry]

I was going to say The Week too - somebody has already mentioned it. Subscription only I think, though you can get three issues to trial.

[noddyholder]

The independent 20p version is fab

[safran]

My Vanity Fair subscription has been going for years. Just the right balance between politics and world news with sugar coated celeb icing on top!
Not being in the UK I don't buy newspapers but I go between the Daily Mail (for entertainment value) and the Guardian. I use to read the Times online but refuse to pay for it