The rest of the country be...well, anyway, the problem with most gardening books and magazines is they seem to be speaking to people who live in the tundra for 1/2 the year. Those whom God has blessed by ordaining us to live in the wonderful west do not have that problem. So it becomes tedious each year to read about how to "winter" your garden when you are still weeding and caring for it and would probably fined for stopping. This magazine is the answer to that annoyance.

Aside from gardening information they also have ideas for decorating and camping and other family fun things. The only annoyance in this magazine can be found in their recipe section. It is nothing if not gourmet. To be perfectly honest, in CA I don't have time to be a gourmet cook. The weather is too nice to be stuck inside doing all that work. But, I do use their recipes once/month to have our "formal" meal. And they are quite delicious.

The Sunset Western Garden Book is the definitive reference for anyone gardening in the west, but if you're expecting Sunset Magazine to be the definitive periodical for gardening in the west, you'll be disappointed.

Each issue includes sections on gardening, travel, foods, home, and even books. After you subtract the ads, gardening content is down in the 10% range. And within that small section, the magazine tries to have something relevant for all western areas, from Alaska to Arizona to Idaho to Oregon, and everyplace in between. When they omit an area, the following month you'll see a letter to the editor complaining about it.

The other sections have similar issues. The travel section has to have destinations in every region. The food section has to have regional cuisine from every region. The home section even has to feature homes in every region.

Living alone, I don't cook much, let alone prepare fancy dishes. My biggest decorating issue is keeping the clutter down. The only travel I do is the commute to work. And I'd rather read books than read about books. I also don't care much about gardens in climates vastly different than my own, so I have no interest in the obligatory tropical plants covers. That leaves only a handful of pages that interest me.

If you're a well-rounded person, with interests in more areas than just gardening, you may well find Sunset an interesting magazine. The articles are all well written. The whole magazine is the highest level of quality. They do a great job of writing about everything they write about. It's just that their scope is just far too wide to be a comprehensive guide to living in such a diverse area as the west.

If you like Better Homes and Gardens, and you live in the west, you'll love Sunset Magazine. If you're looking for an extension of their definitive books on gardening in the west, you'll be disappointed by how little relevant content you'll find each month.

One other thing to mention: Sunset Magazine has made most of their website available only to subscribers, unless you're on AOL. So if you want to get to any of their excellent online content, you might want to subscribe even if there only is enough content in the print magazine to hold your attention for the walk from the mailbox to the door.

Overall, it's a great magazine that simply spreads itself too thin by trying to cover too much for too many different people. You may even find you can finish the parts that interest you while waiting in line at the grocery store check-out counter.

On the other hand, if your interest include all of the departments (gardening, food, home, travel and books), and you're interested in all the regions that make up the western United States, then don't hesitate a minute longer. Subscribe. I'm just not that well rounded.

I have many years' worth of bound copies of this treasure of a magazine. I lived in Southern California for 3 years in the early 80s and it was a magazine I really became addicted to, even after moving back to the East Coast. I subscribed for years after. When I was married, this helped me so much with home ideas, not to mention fabulous recipes that really, for the most part, never seem dated. The ideas I got from this magazine! It really helped me grow and see things differently. I can't bring myself to get rid of the many years of bound copies that I have. Such a classy publication!

My Grandmother used to give me all her Sunset Magazines when she was done looking through them. Now my Aunt is carrying on the family tradition of keeping a subscription going.

A unique feature in this magazine is the Recipe Index. You can also find ideas for Travel and Recreation, Garden and Outdoor Living, Home and Design and of course Food and Entertaining. The monthly columns are quite unique. Like in the December 2001 issue, Peter Fish wrote an article about The voice of Christmas which is about Bing Crosby.

In the middle of the magazine, you can find a postcard that says: Information worth sending for. They do all the work for you...you just have to circle the information number to receive information on everything from International Travel to products you see advertised. They never leave you wondering where to find a unique product as they have a "Sources: Where to Find It" section.

The Holiday Section always has me dreaming! Who would not want to walk on the Multnomah Falls Trail in Oregon or stand on a log bridge over a river and just dream a day away. Sometimes I would just like to dissolve into some of the pictures. Especially the last issue, where they showed a cabin in the woods with Christmas Lights in Stehekin, Washington.

If you live in Washington, this is a MUST HAVE!

The January 2002 issue has an article on kayaks and a recipe for French Cream with Blueberry Pudding.

Reading this magazine is really almost a family traditon!

This magazine is an excellent reference. My wife and I frequently turn to the current and past issues looking for reciepes, weekend getaways, gardening, and ideas for design and decorating. The magazine's focus is on the west, so most articles relate to activities and places in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Western Montana. Sunset has great ideas for your life on the West Coast.