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?

[pooka]

Wouldn't your local paper shop order in your newspaper of choice?

We have the Guardian Mon - Fri and then the Times on Saturday and the Sunday Times.

I tried the guardian on Saturdays but missed the jumbo crossword too much.

I also buy too many some house mags, like 25 beautiful homes.

[Fenouille]

My Private Eye subscription is well with the money. I generally get a Sunday Times as well and then Good Housekeeping if I'm off on holiday or at Christmas. I also subscribe to a couple of hobby mags but don't have all that much time to read them since DS came along.

[TeenieLeek]

I used to like Take a Break too :-), read it for years and I am a Highly Educated Professional. The good thing about it is that it never ever has any celebrity-related content, and some of the stories are quite heart- warming, it's not quite as sensationalist as some might expect. They also have a very strong sense of community and decency but are not as self-righteous as the Daily Mail. However I found that a lot of the stories about bereavement were just too sad and started to feel bs about reading for entertainment. Not to mention it was turning me into a hypochondriac.
I'd recommend Red im hard copy and the Huffington post online with The Onion for fun and keeping radio 4 on or downloading podcasts like the news quiz and se of the more serious stuff, better than mags as you can get your ironing done t the same time.

[hogsback]

The Guardian, The Economist, Private Eye, London Review of Books, and New Scientist. Oh, and The Idler and 2000AD for light relief :)

[Fenouille]

Yy to radio 4 podcasts - the news quiz and I'm sorry I haven't a clue are always good.

[AlpinePony]

The lady and horse & hound.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Glad I'm not the only one who lives in New York in my head. I read the New York Times and love planning theatre trips, looking at the property listings for my new apartment, etc all from dreary, rural East Midlands.

[Squitten]

We get The Observer every Sunday and that takes about 4 days to get through. I also get Empire for movie news and National Geographic magazine - science, tech, nature, environment and culture and the most stunning photography

[GetOrf]

I used to spend a bloody fortuine on magazines.

I now have STOPPED and only read the New Scientist. Have even stopped buyinb the Sunday Times which I thought I would never do.

I pounce on them when I see them at the dr though

And go on the Daily Mail website to get my fix of crap sleb stories.

[JamieAgain]

Yes, Private Eye, or The Week

[enidroach]

I have stopped getting a daily paper - I read them online - the guardian site is good and if you want celeb twaddle the daily mail online is packed with it. I still tend to get an Observer on a sunday or the saturday guardian as they come with magazines and extra sections and so can be read thoroughout the week.

Agree with others the 20p independent is good for daily news

[iwanttoseethezoo]

I like Prima... for the knitting patterns. Shoot me now. I like it.

[whackamole]

I like Xbox mags Can't be dealing with gossip mags anymore, although I loved Heat in my yoof.

And I only really read the Metro. Lots of books, I prefer books.

[wellwisher]

Private Eye, The Economist, Wired, The Spectator

[littlemissboden]

eww they are all awful - yes you can find something more worthy, I just read on line. the only magazine i buy is national geographic and weight watchers.

[BsshBossh]

I am addicted to love magazines, so much so that I ask for subscriptions to them for my birthday/Xmas. I am subscribed to Red and Easy Living (both an excellent mix of culture, relationships, self-improvement, health, fashion, beauty and food articles - bit more grown up than Elle, She and even Marie Claire IMO), Good Housekeeping which I have to hide from everyone because they laugh at me for being so middle-aged (but I'm 40 - I am middle-aged!) and Psychology magazine. I also read the weekend FT, Guardian and Observer and BBC News online (everyday). I highly recommend the daily 20p version of The Indy and also The Week if you want to keep up with news/politics but don't want it to be too overwrought or over-complicated.

[BsshBossh]

I do read books too (one a week!).

[Thingumy]

I can't see myself buying a weight watchers magazine-what do they contain other than low fat recipes?

I buy i most days and a mixture of The Times or the Guardian at the weekend-I used to only buy the Guardian but now prefer The Times.

Magazines that I buy are Physiologies,Living,Red and the very occasional Country Living and I don't buy those monthly anymore.

My Grandmother buys World of Interiors and BBC homes and antiques and donates them to me after reading.

I used to buy a vegetable growing mag and a family history but once you've bought regularly,the issues don't really vary much.

I've cut back on my magazine buying once they started to hit £3.50+ a issue

[wandawings]

I love Essentials mag. It has a bit of everything without the annoying skinny models that make me want to eat donuts on their behalf.

[chirpchirp]

The Only Way is Essex finally cured my 12 year Heat addicition. Went cold turkey and don't miss it at all! I read the Guardian on-line and browse the BBC website.

[smearedinfood]

Easy Living, they had Mariella Frostup last month and I have a girl crush on her. This months Cath Kidston shopper is quite nice as well.

[smearedinfood]

I gave up as I got sick of Jordan..

[aStarInStrangeways]

I quite like Nylon for looking at clothes and that. DH bought me a copy a while ago and they had interviews with female actors, designers etc. that actually asked reasonably intelligent questions rather than simpering over boyfriend or lack of.

Otherwise yes, Private Eye, Independent/I for actual reading. It says a lot that the only mag I can really bring myself to pay money for these days is Good Food. Oh, and occasionally Total Tattoo, although I've stopped that since not having any money to get any work done.

Heat is evil, awful awful product. All the sleb mags are, but I particularly loathe Heat. Still read it when I find it lying around, even though it makes me fulminate.

[handsomeharry]

Private Eye is very funny. I also like Vanity Fair but it takes ages to read.

[mippy]

I only get craft magazines, because they have charts and such. I do like the new Mollie Makes, it's like an interiors type mag for people who have far too much fabric.

The Sun's probably the only publication I will never read if it's left on a train. The Mirror always seems less trashier, though I haven't read it since I left home (my mum used to get it). I like the Sunday Times supplements and (yeah, I know) You magazine with the Mail. Weirdly, Yours magazine is quite good.