Each story we chose as our number five piece of the week in 2023, all in one place.
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Award Wins, Note-Taking Advice, and Our Top 5
“So as soon as my reporting was done, I would go home. I would never permit myself to do anything, make dinner, nothing, until I’d sat down with the notebooks.” Happy Friday! We have several updates to share this week. We’re working to improve your overall Longreads experience, and you may notice some small changes while browsing […]
When Baking and Real Estate Collide
For The New Yorker, Anna Wiener explores the cuisine-real-estate business model and traces the rise of Tartine, the artisanal San Francisco bakery known for its delicious breads and pastries and hip, airy spaces. How did this beloved spot in the Mission become a world-renowned brand? And is this food empire really what it seems? Certain […]
Dead Moms Club: A Mother’s Day Reading List
Eight thoughtful reading recommendations for those who’ve lost their moms.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Notable longform stories written by David Farrier, Luc Rinaldi, Claire Gagné, Jonathan Weiner, and Dave Holmes.
Six Stories About a Complex Cuisine and Our Top 5
“Migration patterns, together with demographic trends and climate change, mean that the cuisine must adapt. Italian food—so rooted in tradition and adamant in its authenticity—will have to change.” In previous reading lists, Longreads contributor Clare Egan has explored a range of topics: Ireland, queer ecology, and the decision to have a child. This week, Egan dives […]
Will the Ozempic Era Change How We Think About Being Fat and Thin?
“A popular, growing class of drugs for obesity and diabetes could, in an ideal world, help us see that metabolism and appetite are biological facts, not moral choices.”
We Are All Animals at Night
“’We know where she works,’ their faces said, but it felt less like a judgement and more like an acknowledgement.”
‘Bees are Sentient’: Inside the Stunning Brains of Nature’s Hardest Workers
“‘Fringe’ research suggests the insects that are essential to agriculture have emotions, dreams and even PTSD, raising complex ethical questions.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we’re recommending stories by Zarlasht Halaimzai, Gloria Liu, E. Jean Carroll, Amy Margolis, and Chris Colin.


