The week after a vacation can be a relentless mix of drudgery (freedom makes drudgery seem less daunting) and burden (that pile of work you didn’t get done on Thursday and Friday). We feel just like you.
But instead of following the commonly heard TikTok advice to get up and do 10 squats every hour, I’ve been taking breaks to reset my mind from work by reading long reads that aren’t related to the task at hand. And so far, it seems to be working: to-do items are checked off and my inbox is back to quiet. Maybe this little trick will work for you, too? If so, here are five recent articles to help you get into the habit of taking long read breaks.
We all know this phrase RuPaul’s Drag Race Judge and acclaimed journalist Ronan Farrow’s 2019 book might have us all struggling a bit if pressed to detail how the ethically abhorrent practice works. This account by Justin Klawans quickly outlines several high-profile catch-and-kill cases and is packed with enough links to lead the reader down a deep hole.
Recommended for: You have 15 minutes to spare before what is sure to be a boring Zoom.
Journalist Mark Vollman has covered mass shootings for years. In 2012, he created a groundbreaking public database on the crime. Two years ago, he published a book called “The Mass Shootings Report.” Trigger Point: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America was published to widespread acclaim. His feature on Chin Roger carries more weight than other writers’ features because, backed by statistical data, he is able to write a story that crosses the boundaries of alternative weekly publications responsibly. Her son Elliot killed six people and injured 13 in 2014, but this is the first time she has spoken to the media about his crimes. There is also a podcast episode about this report.
Recommended for: Though the subject matter is undeniably dark, Roger’s message of hope, beginning at about the 4:15 mark, makes this the perfect podcast to listen to at the end of your day.
Some of you may in lifeattends crime-related conventions, and follows various details of these gatherings on Reddit. This isn’t Sarah or me; you’ve probably noticed whenever we’re shocked by crime-related merchandise. Anyone who has attended such an event knows that Ted Bundy t-shirts sell in bulk at these events. That’s why Kathleen Hale’s article on the event intrigued me. It’s an outsider article by a knowledgeable expert that started my obsession with magazines like: Rolling Stone The ’80s show’s colorful cast of characters helps non-big-time fans like me understand what certain crazes are all about, like the Democratic National Convention, a Taylor Swift show, or the NBA draft.
Here are some excerpts that illustrate what I mean:
As if on cue, two beautiful victims of domestic violence, Natalia (38) and Stacey (43), danced out of the ballroom door in matching tie-dye overalls. Like many of the other women that night, they looked like twins. Natalia and Stacey met 15 years ago while living in Colorado, and when Stacey spotted Natalia walking through the apartment they shared, wine bottle in hand, they knew they were kindred spirits. Later, in a raging snowstorm, they watched the entire Casey Anthony trial together on Stacey’s laptop, dividing jelly beans into their own piles. Stacey liked red, Natalia liked green, and they both liked blue, so they piled blue in the middle.
“Barbie!” Natalia yelled, admiring the woman dressed like a doll.
Stacey assured me that Natalia has strong opinions about the ongoing case: The two women believe Brian Koberger, the former criminology student charged with murdering four college students at the University of Idaho in 2022, is definitely guilty. That’s partly because of the evidence against Koberger, but also because he seems like one of those guys that women instinctively avoid.
“Even as children, we have to deal with creepy people 24/7,” Natalia says.
It contains so many details and lets you enjoy the tastes and smells, which is fun.
Recommended for: It’s 5500 words, so you’ll need a chunk of time to savor it, and it’s best read as a special treat after finishing a particularly unpleasant task.
Science and the Environment Christopher Solomon isn’t usually a true-crime teller, but about eight years ago he wrote a lengthy piece for Outside about a Seattle man tracking bike thieves. As I realized while taking a break to read it while writing this article (I do!), the piece is still relevant. Bonus links included! This new piece in Wired is likely an offshoot of the same obsession, but this time it’s a much broader story about where bikes go after they disappear from your garage, rack, or locker. It’s also a clever introduction to the theft modus operandi, and it upends many common assumptions. Here are some examples:
Not long ago, bike theft was a crime of opportunity. Snatching or hitting a weak lock with a screwdriver. Those old-fashioned days are over. Today’s thieves are more skilled, brazen, and prolific. They wield portable angle grinders and high-powered cordless screwdrivers. They scour neighborhoods with trucks equipped with ladders and steal luxury bikes from second-floor balconies. They use your Strava feed to follow you and your fancy bike back to your home. A product designer living in an affluent neighborhood in Silicon Valley told me how one morning in early 2020, he left his garage door open for an hour and a thief stole his customized $8,000 enduro mountain bike. He and his wife bought an alarm system. Soon after, the couple locked the garage one night but forgot to turn on the alarm, and the thief broke the door and stole the husband’s bike, then the wife’s bike. Over a three-month period, $26,000 worth of bikes were lost.
Often, the most interesting true crime stories deal with issues far beyond our realm of experience. But bike theft is such a universal problem that this article starts off on a pretty relatable note ( just At around $8,000, mountain bike prices rise into the stratosphere.
Recommended for: It’s perfect for that 2:30pm brain crash – it’ll be so engrossing you’ll keep you awake, and you might even find yourself with a bit of new purpose when you’re done.
Yes, I hate Heads and Decks too. At this point in crime history, both the text before and after the colon have become the most mundane of all time. I hope the “I’ve already read this” feeling at the top of the page didn’t deter readers, because what follows is a deep, engrossing article written by sportswriter (and other writer) John Rosengren about an alleged stalker case that ended in murder in 2023. However, the murder is against the suspect, not the victim. While many newspapers and papers report on Levi Axtell’s trial and sentencing every day, this is the deepest dive I’ve ever seen into why he believed he was right when he murdered Larry Scully, an elderly convicted sex offender.
Recommended for: If someone has a meeting scheduled for 4pm on a Friday and you need to stay until then, this story will not only incite your righteous anger, but it will also eat up the afternoon until that “email-able” meeting.
True crime news delivered to your inbox
Subscribe to the Best Evidence newsletter: