Magazine

Magazines are items bought by Sims on community lots, that increase a Sim's "interest" in a topic or enthusiasm in a hobby.

Magazines and Interests
In The Sims and The Sims 2, magazines that increase a Sim's interests can be bought on community lots. Each magazine has articles on 3 topics.

In The Sims, magazines were added in the Hot Date expansion pack. When Sims return home, they will place any magazines they have on available surfaces, but this may not work if the magazine was not bought Downtown. As a Sim reads a magazine, a purplish bar will appear over his or her head. When the bar is full, an interest point has been gained. Magazines in The Sims have a limited lifespan and will eventually become trash.

In The Sims 2, magazines are part of the base game. If the inventory feature is present, they will be kept in inventory, otherwise they will be put somewhere when the Sim returns home. In The Sims 2, there is no progress bar when Sims read magazines, and they gain interest points much quicker than in The Sims. Before having a Sim read about an interest, players should make sure that interest is shown in the information panel, and keep an eye on it as the Sim reads, as that is the only way to track the Sim's progress. After the action is canceled, the Sim will continue to gain interest until he or she actually stops reading, and may gain one or two points during this time.

In both The Sims and The Sims 2, gaining an interest point in one subject will cause the Sim to lose an interest point in another.

The Sims 3 does not contain magazines.

The Sims

 * The Avarix - Money, Politics, Technology
 * Livin' Large - 60's, Music, Parties
 * MaxSimum - Exercise, Outdoors, Travel
 * Victor's Digest - Food, Sports, Weather
 * WhooNoo - Hollywood, Romance, Style

The Sims 2

 * Beyond Belief - Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Health
 * Highbrow Review - Politics, Culture, Environment
 * Mode:Live - Food, Travel, Weather
 * Rat Race - Crime, Money, Work
 * Superstar Report - Entertainment, Fashion, Sports
 * Young Sims Magazine - Animals, School, Toys

Hobby Magazines
There is a magazine for each of the hobbies. A Sim must reach level 3 enthusiasm to receive a phone call asking if they would like a subscription. Magazines are then delivered to the lot once a week. A subscription can be accepted or canceled at any time.

Once one Sim in a household has been offered a subscription, any Sim in the household who has at least level 3 enthusiasm in that hobby can accept it. Once a subscription has been accepted, any Sim in the household can cancel it. It appears that young adults in college sub-neighborhoods cannot subscribe to the hobby magazines. This is probably because there are no days of the week in college sub-neighborhoods.

Once a hobby magazine has been delivered, any Sim in the household can read it regardless their level of enthusiasm in that hobby.

Source for titles and delivery dates is Warfreak's walkthrough/guide for FreeTime on GameFAQs.

The Sims 3
The Sims 3 has no readable magazines, only decor magazines. However, TS3 contains lots of different Books.