Magazines in the UAE are not what they used to be and, unlike in some other places, that's a good thing. We now have access to a larger number of less predictable titles, as well as more interesting places to buy and read them. Case in point: The Magazine Shop in Dubai, pictured above. At the open-air pop-up shop in DIFC, stalwarts of the Middle Eastern mag pile, such as Canvas, Bidoun and Brownbook, now share shelf space with spirited uppers-and-comers like Watad, We Are Here, The Outpost and The Carton. I call them the 'Generation X of Mid-East Magazines' because they are experimental, exquisite and unapologetically expensive.