Usually, I only read magazines whose content appeals directly to me: ones with glossy spreads of the top 50 newest lip glosses, advice columns on how to look hotter than and stop Googling your ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, what flea market in Brooklyn has the best cheese -- chick mags, if you will. So Popular Mechanics wasn't high on my must-read-every-month list. That is, until I saw the May 2011 issue wrapped in plastic with a supplement featuring what I thought were laptop accessories -- in other words, things to buy.

It's been quite a while since I gave Cooking Light short shrift in a 2006 review of a competing magazine. Since then, CL has revamped visually so its graphics are more appealing, and added well-known contributors like New York Times columnist Mark Bittman. It's become a truly excellent pub.