Two Umbrellas

Reading Recession

On a previous post I lamented my deluge of reading material, especially magazine subscriptions. Too much input! I was starting to feel guilty that I couldn’t read all of the articles and yet still feeling guilty that I didn’t subscribe to more. (Oh the reading paradox!) But the recession has hit - I have let most of my subscriptions lapse and I am starting to feel a drought. I am left with the following:

• Bookforum I know I can get this free online but I just love having the printed version.
• N+1 Truthfully, I have no idea when this subscription runs out. I don’t remember the last time I paid for it; but it still comes in the mail (albeit infrequently).
• Bon Appetit It’s super cheap.
• and Playboy Hmmm, I’m not quite sure why this magazine still arrives - I may have to talk to mr. twoumbrellas about that.

Unfortunately, I’ve had to let some excellent magazines go: Harper’s and I am missing Granta very, very much. The NYRB is just too expensive. I can’t spend $70 for a magazine subscription. I know that can be spread out throughout the year but it’s not worth it since I only read half of the articles (I can’t keep up when it comes every two weeks) and many of the articles are political, which I can only appreciate to an extent. While my magazine reading is feeling the pinch, so are my bookshelves. I’ve put a moratorium on purchasing books, with the exception of books for the Parasol. I am so fortunate that I have a library, albeit with a mediocre selection of new fiction, two blocks from my house. The FLP has a decent online library system where I can search for books at any branch and hold them with my online account. (If you live in Philly - or anywhere for that matter - please remember to support your local library. In some areas they are desperately needed community centers.*) I have used my library more than ever in the last few months and I am enjoying the freedom of reading for free. I do miss having new books on my shelf. However, I have 182 books on my many, many shelves that I have not read yet (some of them I purchased in grade school). My habit used to be to buy books much faster than I could read them. This moratorium will give me a chance to get through some of those. aside I have my opinions about libraries becoming community centers but at a time of economic crisis and people’s desperate need for support from their communities, libraries should be commended for what they do.