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Confession: I'm in love.

I've been in love as long as I can remember. Childhood memories of the two of us together, lazy Sundays curled up drinking tea, when I'm sick and stuck in bed--they have been by my side all my life, never wavering no matter what I was interested in.

I'm in love with magazines.

My love affair with magazines is as strong today as it's ever been. There are several magazines we subscribe to at home (current favorite: This Old House), magazines that I read while I'm on lunch at the library (People being preferred, but I won't say no to Allure), magazines that used to have a special spot in my heart but I've moved on from (Soap Opera Digest, we shared so much when I loved Days and OLTL), and my all-time favorite magazine Entertainment Weekly. Each week, my co-worker John gives me the current issue when he's finished reading it and I love walking in and seeing a new issue on my desk.

Why magazines? First, they're easy to roll up and stick in your bag. Unlike books, you can pick up a magazine and start reading anywhere. You can read only the articles you're interested in and you don't have to feel guilty about not finishing. There's a reason doctors and dentists leave them in waiting rooms. They have a broad appeal and make it easy to pass the time with Time or Highlights for kids. Magazines are also a great way to begin your interest in a topic you might be curious about but don't have the time to devote to a book. Next time you're at the library and you're dreaming of cheese, grab Culture Magainze: The Word on Cheese. Want to cook with your kids? On the 2nd floor we have Chop Chop. I could go on--after all, the library owns 500 magazines for adults (besides English, we have magazines in Italian, Arabic, Spanish, Germany, Hindi, Polish, and Gujarati). On the kids' floor we have 64 titles for kids and parents (including Spanish and Polish).

Now that Zinio has come into my life, magazines and I aren't limited by library hours. Last night I was thinking about new recipes. So I pulled up the library's website, navigated my way to the Zinio page, and checked out Food Network Magazine. It was there that I learned about the wonders of avocado toast. Now that even more titles have been added to Zinio, I always have my beloved HGTV Magazine ready to go. And this month's Smithsonian cover story is about Amelia Earhart! If our winter weather takes a turn for the worse, I'll be prepared. I have magazines for days.