Bookmarks Magazine

All the literary stars must be aligned this week. Not only is it the Read-a-thon weekend, but last night my husband walked in from the mailbox with my most recent edition of Bookmarks Magazine! I immediately dropped what I was doing (and for the life of me I do not remember what that was) and began reading this favorite periodical from cover to cover.

If you are unfamiliar with this terrific gem - please visit their website. There are back issues to peruse and an opportunity to sign up for an annual subscription. I first picked up a copy of Bookmarks at my local bookstore last fall (Barnes and Noble and Borders both carry it) - about a month before I discovered the book review blogosphere. The professional quality of the pages, the neat, concise layout, the summary reviews for each book (and I find that they pull a broad range of reviews so that I can ascertain a fairly objective opinion of the book), and the breadth of books chosen for review (not only the best sellers in each of the major genres, but also lesser reviewed books that are worthy of distinction) are just some of the reasons why I love this magazine.

Here are just a few of books that I have added to my TBR list as a result of last night's read:

• The Magician's Book by Laura Miller
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman
• Deaf Sentence by David Lodge
• Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan
• The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
• Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead
• Possession by AS Byatt
• The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker
• Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
• Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
• Get Real by Donald Westlake
• An Expensive Education by Nick McDonnell
• Blame by Michelle Huneven
• A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
• Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

While most of the books are new releases, many of them have been around for while, but they are new to me (Prince of Tides in particular). I like that the magazine introduces me to all types of literature from all different time periods!

The magazine always spotlights an author (the most recent edition features Margaret Atwood, but many times they feature a classic author such as Charles Dickens or Louisa May Alcott). They also devote one page to a book club - which I always enjoy since I am not a part of one (yet!). The Nov/Dec edition also focuses on books about Inventors (and several are mentioned - both adult and young adult), as well as books that we bibliophiles would consider "Guilty Pleasures" -- you know, those books that we are embarrassed to admit that we enjoy as much as the literary classics.

All in all this magazine feeds my book acquisition addiction -- which I have decided is a good thing. I am starting to request more books from my local library (I think I have about 15 on reserve at the moment) and then decide if I would like to add them to my personal collection. This way I feel that I can have my cake and eat it too: instant gratification to read what I want to read when I want to read it without the guilt of having to serve PB&J sandwiches (again!) for dinner.

I am curious of any of you use other media to foster your reading habits? Are there other magazines, periodicals, or websites that I should investigate?