Oh Reader Magazine

When I worked at Tattered Cover, I noticed my coworker (who also happens to be a librarian for a double-win) purchasing the latest edition of Oh Reader. I was curious, but so consumed with all the books and magazines that were already on my TBR piles, I resisted the urge to add one more thing.

Flash forward to our recent move. I purged all of my unread magazines when we were cleaning out our house. This was a big deal, because for years, I had subscribed to more than I could possibly read. I had stacks of old Poets & Writers, The Writer, and Writer's Digest. I had really, really, really old copies of O Magazine and Real Simple. Every time we traveled, I'd take a stack to read by the pool and make a small dent in my surplus. With this move, they just had to all go, and now, I'm starting fresh with magazines.

Our apartment complex has a sparkling pool and this, paired with generally gorgeous Los Angeles weather, means many relaxing days of poolside reading. A month ago, I decided to treat myself to a copy of Oh Reader.

And let me tell you, this is the perfect magazine for book lovers. It's filled with articles about the joys of reading and how certain authors or books have transformed people's lives. There are articles about the importance of libraries and bookstores. The magazine has marvelous book reviews that will entice you to add more to your TBR. It has product reviews of bookish-items that will enhance your book lover experience. The most recent issue issue has a gorgeous photo layout dedicated to books and flowers. So pretty and magical.

The article that I connected the most with was Anna K. Cottrell's "The Big Five for a Big Move." Cottrell writes about selecting a handful of books for her move from Britain to the United States. Although I took about a hundred books on our move to Los Angeles, this article resonated with me, as I had to decide which books would come vs going into storage or given away. It was very difficult and I can't imagine if I was moving to a different country.

Reading Cottrell's words after having made my own tough choices, made me thinking about which books have held the most meaning for me. I think it would come down to books that are not meaningful due to their content, but due to who gave them to me, such as a copy of Tom Hank's Uncommon Type. I have not yet read it, but it is precious because it was a gift from my mother-in-law who has passed. I also have the last book that my mom was reading when she died. It's a hardback copy of Clive Cussler's The Chase and I still have the bookmark in the spot from where she stopped reading. I like to imagine finishing the book for her, but honestly, I will likely never read it, as it doesn't appeal to me, but I still can't imagine letting it go. What books would you keep, if you could only keep a few?

I slowly savored Oh Reader through two pool lounging sessions and I'm eager to get my hands on the next issue of this quarterly magazine. Dare I buy the back issues? I'm now on the hunt for similar magazines. If you have any recommendations, please send them my way!

Oh Reader is pure delight. I cannot recommend it enough.