Ditto what you all said, especially about the patterns that continue in the next issues. I have ipad but prefer books that are paper and holdable. I like to go to the bookstore and wander the shelves. When I pick up a book I can read the jacket and get a sense of whether I like it or not. The info on the computer does not help me decide. I like to watch the other book buyers and what sections they are in...biography, crafts, hobby...gives a sense of who they are. Nosy I guess or just like being around people who like books. I like holding the book to my bod and carrying it to my car and sitting on my sofa with a cushy pillow and the book in my hand. Guess I'm proof you can't teach an old dog new tricks. The quilt books are lovely. If a magazine has at least 5 items I like or one I'm enraptured with I will buy it. I do no buy wrapped ones either except the cross stitch ones which are lovely and always have patterns I like. I once bought a wrapped magazine and someone had slit it and removed the free item. I didn't notice til I got home and the store replaced it. The quilt shops have great patterns and books, more than I can afford but browsing is nice. The internet patterns are a treasure chest waiting to be opened.
When I am being economical, I search the book store for what I want and then ask the library to get it for me. It has boomeranged on me a few times because I liked the book so much that I went later to the book store and ordered one for myself after seeing the library copy. At our library you can donate money for a book on a topic like quilting and they will let you read it first. That way I do not have it hanging around and others share it at my expense. I can only do this once a year. I must say that knitting and crochet magazines are quite original and mod. I love the styles they are coming up with.