These audience hits were the most-viewed picks on our site in 2025.
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Posted inEditor's Pick
Elon Musk’s Shadow Rule
“How the U.S. government came to rely on the tech billionaire—and is now struggling to rein him in.”
Posted inFeature
Best of 2025: The Stories You Missed
In a year of exceptional reading, these overlooked stories refused to let us go.
Posted inEditor's Pick
RuPaul Doesn’t See How That’s Any of Your Business
“The drag star brought the form mainstream, and made an empire out of queer expression. Now he fears ‘the absolute worst.'”
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring notable stories from David Pierce, C.J. Chivers, Paige Kaptuch, Michael Adno, and Jessica Winter.
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories by Brenna Ehrlich, Yiyun Li, Claire L. Evans, Nicholas Casey, and Kent Russell.
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Alyssa Roenigk, Rachel Monroe, Brad Rassler, Will Bahr, and Zachary B. Hancock.
Posted inReading List
Knotty Business: A Delightfully Tangled Reading List on Knots
Six stories on our fascination with knots.
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Sharing stories from John Woodrow Cox, Sarah Blaskey, and Matt McClain; Daphne Chouliaraki Milner and Marcia Bjornerud; Susan Choi; Henry Wismayer; and Susannah Pratt.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Country Music’s Culture Wars and the Remaking of Nashville
“Tennessee’s government has turned hard red, but a new set of outlaw songwriters is challenging Music City’s conservative ways—and ruling bro-country sound.”
