Thoughtful stories for thoughtless times.
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This week, we’re continuing our Best of 2025 series by celebrating the original writing we publish on Longreads, including personal and reported essays, as well as reading lists.
Today’s list compiles our 10 most-read Longreads original features. At number one, Andrew Chamings revisits a 50-year-old murder—the details of which remain a mystery to this day. We’re proud to report that this piece led to a book deal for Chamings. The nine essays that complete this list deal with everything from a look at life, death, and duality through the eyes of a cat; a celebration of ice cream trucks; a love letter to swamps; and more.
This list would be impossible without readers like you! Thank you for your support in 2025. We’re really excited about what’s to come in 2026.
—Brendan, Carolyn, Cheri, Krista, Peter & Seyward
Madness, Melancholy, or Murder: An Ancient English Farm’s 50-Year-Old Mystery
Andrew Chamings returns to his childhood farmland to investigate the mystifying deaths of the Luxton siblings. What really happened down that dark country lane?
Thank You for Finding Me
As a teenager, I met a stranger who changed the course of my life. Twenty years later, I went looking for him.
Bread and Honey
Sometimes, marriage is about learning how to braid the bitter with the sweet.
The Fish That Climbed a Mountain
The wild tale of a small fishing club, a national park, and an epic battle over alien trout.
Tom Cat
On duality, detachment, and life and death decisions.
99 Problems: The Ice Cream Truck’s Surprising History
From crime panics to TikTok, summer’s favorite vehicle has driven a bumpy road.
Present Tense: The Long Shadow of an Eating Disorder
Eating disorders never truly go away. They just go quiet. For a while.
The Bad Thing
Sometimes the most haunting part of trauma isn’t what happened—it’s wondering what could have happened if you hadn’t trusted your gut.
Swamp People
Finding refuge and resilience in America’s most reviled landscapes.
Beloved Bother
A typo in my great-uncle’s obituary held the key to understanding him.
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