N = newbooks [Issue 58 July/August 2010 £3.00 pp 84]
I've heard of reading groups - I didn't realise they were quite so established, and that there is a magazine dedicated to them.
The magazine in itself was a bit dull - lots of book reviews and samples of books - still, there are a handful of books I might have a look at as a result...
Gender: The staff, the readers, and the authors interviewed were not exclusively but were predominantly women. I wouldn't have put reading as a 'women's' activity, or criticising books, but maybe reading groups are...
Surprise: I quite enjoyed the interview with Fay Weldon - I've never really been that into her - and she looks FABULOUS at 80! :)
Would I buy again: No - I'd look online for book reviews, and I'm not in a book club.
Time taken to read: lunch here, bath there - probably about 30 mins in total
Unusual thing: all the pages were numbered! (they're not in most magazines).
Alternatives:
- Nexus (alternative stuff)
- New statesman
- National geographic
- Newsweek
- North South
- Nvision (based around NVIDIA graphics/video cards apparently!)
- NonLeague24 (football)
Bought: From a man who couldn't keep his eyes open, knocked over a display, and didn't say anything other than "three pounds". I think he was actually sleep-working.
The newsagent had a very large selection of mags including glossy high fashion (ie arty pics, tits, striking not-necessarily-pretty models). I didn't see a single porn mag though... maybe they're in a special section somewhere...
[in case you were wondering... some of the books I thought might be interesting: Let the Great World Spin, Transition, and The Unit].
