Thanksgiving week is here, and that can mean only one thing — fighting for a parking space. If you’re doing your part to put the black in Black Friday, these magazines can help.
ShopSmart at first glance has the look of one of those cluttered, down-market amalgams of bargain stuff and cheap family recipes. Fortunately, it’s anything but. This monthly spin-off of the mighty Consumer Reports is obsessed with bargain deals and aimed at younger shoppers. It avoids the rankings used so widely in its parent title, and it’s money-wasting gadgets feature, which lists onion goggles, mango pitters and electric knife sharpeners, is indispensable.
The November issue of Lucky starts off on a bad leg with advice on how to wear four unique pant shapes that no one but the fashioned-obsessed would ever buy. Unfortunately, the content barely improves from there, including two recommendations for bright orange puff jackets. It ended on a bang though thanks to Sofia Vergara’s ticklish interview. Of her dress for the Emmys, she says: “I am not there to look intelligent. I want to show all this off while I still have it.” Oh, Gloria! You’re so funny.
Real Simple lives up to its name with a gift guide that features affordable but stylish items at $50 and under. Stuck on an idea for your man? Cashmere gloves with leather grip, $49. Traditional meets high-tech gift? How about iWoody, a chalk board cover for your iPhone? This magazine isn’t just for the materialistic, there’s a guide to giving that looks at how to evaluate the effectiveness of various charities, and recommends a few.
If you know any InStyle readers, stop them now. The holidays will be ruined if those women’s lambskin pants show up under the tree. It doesn’t matter that they’re $900, Davey Crockett’s wife wouldn’t wear them. For the boys? A reversible flannel hoodie that presents the dilemma of which side is more seizure-inducing. The gifts range from tasteless undergarments that for some reason remind you of grandma to boxing glove cuff links, which are cool but almost $300. Sure, it’s nice to see a gift guide that doesn’t spew electronics, but still throw in an iPod or something.
New York’s Michael Kinsley interviews Anglo-American Tina Brown on why Newsweek failed and gets real answers. Kinsley knows how to butter up his interview and gets the goods. Brown explains, “Let’s face it. When I look back on it, taking over Newsweek, it just seems completely insane actually.” The infamous editrix admits it cost $42 million just to print Newsweek and says she realized in the spring that the poor economics weren’t going to change. Brown opines on the Huffington Post (she doesn’t know its traffic numbers) and Mark Thompson’s arrival as the new boss of the New York Times Co. She even adds her media habits include the New York Post, which she reads like a “ransom note,” to use her words.
Wrapped in a New Yorker cover showing a bed with camouflage covers is the best take on the General Petraeus love triangle you’ll read. “Fifty Shades of Khaki,” by Adam Gopnik, summarizes the whole to-do without judgment. “Desire is not subject to the language of judicious choice, or it would not be desire with a language all its own.” Smart people do dumb things when driven by desire, he concludes. Skip the piece on prolific TV showrunner Ryan Murphy, who’s described as being like cayenne pepper — too spicy for some. It isn’t that Emily Nussbaum wrote a bad piece; we’ve just had our fill of the “Glee” creator and his ubiquitous opinions.
Time’s cover of Petraeus already feels dated, though the article’s take — which is more focused on the failure of national security — is valid. The Culture section gets in on the consumer electronics topic of the week: Nintendo’s Wii U (Insert yawn here). Author Harry McCracken wisely hedges rather than decides whether this Japanese company can re-invent the gaming console. From his report, it’s hard to discern how it’s so different from what’s already out there.
Sometimes going out of business unleashes a stream of creative excellence from a staff likely eager to get hired elsewhere. Alongside its “prepare for digital-only Newsweek” message, the Barry Diller-backed magazine delivers some excellent journalism in this week’s issue. It looks ahead at what New York and New Jersey governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie must do to fix our infrastructure. Their progress could affect potential runs at the White House. Other provocative pieces take Ireland to task over its abortion policy, which resulted in the death of a 31-year-old Indian woman who was miscarrying. The sugar on the medicine is an adorable interview with “Hunger Games” actress Jennifer Lawrence, who has no idea what to have for lunch.