“A former FBI agent traveled to Louisiana to ask a hired killer about a murder that haunted him. Then they started talking about a different case altogether.”
Longreads
The (Un-)Happiest Place on Earth and the Week’s Top 5
“I left Trip House at 8:12 on Saturday morning, having not been murdered, and drove to the Magic Kingdom. The woman at the ticket window asked if I’d come to Disney World to celebrate anything special, and I laughed. If I answered that question truthfully — using unmagical words like ‘genital,’ ‘student loan,’ and ‘gentrification’ […]
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Alyssa Roenigk, Rachel Monroe, Brad Rassler, Will Bahr, and Zachary B. Hancock.
Fabulous Fungi and Our Top 5 of the Week
“To a reading list on these mind-bending entities at a planetary tipping point, welcome. What you see here are only some fruiting bodies, the rest lies underneath.” I first learned about the parasitic fungus that takes over a bug’s body and commandeers its brain back in 2023, when I picked Zhengyang Wang’s “The Last of […]
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we have stories from Suzy Hansen, Raksha Vasudevan, Linda Kinstler, Erica Berry, and Dave Denison.
Exploring Public Lands and the Week’s Top 5
“Though we were only a few miles into our walk, already the surprise of my surroundings was overwhelming. The surreal lakebeds. The pink skies. Beauty Peak. The pronghorn. We were left in one of those mindless trances that comes when nature completely engulfs you. No amount of planning or research can prepare you for an […]
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Archie Bland, Elizabeth Bruenig, Anat Rubin, Dexter Thomas, and Elena Gosalvez Blanco.
There’s Gold in the Hills
In the wide, quiet spaces of BLM land, I heard echoes of a past we’ve buried—and a future we still might save.
Harrowing Outdoor Adventure and the Week’s Top 5
“Traveling the entire length was the equivalent of climbing and descending more than eighteen Mount Everests over a distance equivalent to nearly fifty marathons.” I’m powerless against outdoor adventure stories. I love tales of arduous trips through harsh landscapes, ones where Mother Nature can be fickle, casting weather spells that bring surprise, danger, and a […]
