Jean Snow [.net]

This Week in Magazines

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by

Jean Snow
in
  • The latest issue of BRUTUS (587) has a feature that tells us to “Be Cool, Be Healthy,” but sports an unfortunate image of President Bush on its cover (lifting weights no less). The piece inside covers health by profiling various celebrities and their health-related activities.
  • PEN (169) takes a look at ecology, or more specifically the “new attitude of ecology,” pointing new and innovative ways that the green movement is being pushed around the world.
  • This month’s RELAX (109) covers jewelry and accessories, a topic I have next to no interest in, and therein lies the occasional problem with lifestyle magazines that devote every month’s issue to a specific theme: you run into issues like this where there’s just nothing you want to read inside.
  • +81 (31) takes a break from design to focus on photography, with their “Photography Issue 3.” Lots of pretty imagery within, and includes interviews with some top photographers (and yes, Araki gets a piece).
  • CASA BRUTUS (72) devotes its latest issue to all things utsuwa (ceramic bowls and the like), something that BRUTUS also did just a few months ago.
  • The latest PAPER SKY (16) takes us on a “Shimane Time Trip.” I was quite taken by the photo gallery of Chinese factories and workers.
  • This month’s TITLE (72) spotlights popular commercial actresses, or as they refer to them, “Commercial Beauties 2006.” Plenty of full-page photos of beautiful girls, faces you’ll probably recognize from countless TV CMs, and the issue comes with a DVD full of said commercials.
  • STUDIO VOICE (363) puts forth 150 novels which they deem to be interesting (classified in various categories), and then follow that up with a “Young People’s Guide to Critical Books!”
  • This month’s ESQUIRE (Vol. 20, No. 3) also covers books, this time pointing out 230 beautiful tomes. They also include guides to book hunting in various cities, spotlighting some great looking bookstores.