Welcome to the 351st installment of Things I Read That I Love, wherein I share with you some of the longer-form journalism/essays I’ve read recently so that you can know more about the best bread! This “column” is less queer focused than the rest of the site because when something is queer focused, I put it on the rest of the site. Here is where the other things are.

The title of this feature is inspired by the title of Emily Gould’s tumblr, Things I Ate That I Love. Feature image by Manchester Daily Express.

‘They’re gonna make me cry’: I competed at a speed puzzling championship
leila jordan // the guardian // april 2026
It has been so long since I have done a jigsaw puzzle! Will I ever puzzle again? Oh gosh I miss it. Oh man I wanna do a puzzle!

The Worst Magazine In America
Nathan J. Robinson // current affairs // september 2024
I also do find The Atlantic incredibly vexing!!! And this was published in September 2024, The Atlantic has come out with so many terrible things since then.
I do think that the ideological suppositions that predominate (with exceptions) in The Atlantic’s pages are dangerous and wrongheaded, but my critique of the magazine’s glib carelessness with ideas would be valid even if I was not also annoyed by its tendency to publish aggressive criticism of my fellow leftists and a never-ending sequence of cheap swipes at protesters.

I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread In America
caity weaver // the atlantic // april 2026
I don’t think the author of the above article was talking about this article, because this article is perfect! Honestly this might be one of her best pieces, in my opinion. It has everything I desire in a piece — a fancy restaurant in las Vegas, attempts to contact celebrities, parental death, personal lore, food history, all my favorite chain restaurants, cheddar bay biscuits. Also though…. justice for the Macaroni Grill.

An oral history of Girl, Interrupted
trey taylor // the face // december 2019
This movie means so much to me but a thing I am surprised I’d never thought about more was just how every girl in the movie, except Winona who was already at her peak, was about to blow up, and would eventually become a major star — Angelina Jolie of course, Clea Duvall, Brittney Murphy, Elisabeth Moss. What a cast, you know? WHAT A CAST.

Fuck Everything Up
kay poyer // the quiet part // april 2026
” I see myself now in this percarious position, where my whole brand is being called “The Oracle of Delphi” by people with shaggy haircuts and being told I’ve never had a wrong take. It’s a pressure cooker, a shoddily made pipe bomb strapped to the chest of every attention-seeking woman. When I inevitably say the wrong thing and piss my audience off I’ll be widely hated, and that will be what really skyrockets my career. That is the path. I have to get past the mire of being broke with a cult following and reach the mysoginy-fueled echelon of being despised on twitter. That, or I can give up now and slowly fade into obscurity. I am stagnant at the moment, but I know what I will choose when the opportunity arises. At the end of the day, even if I never really get comfortable, I need the attention, and I don’t see any other way.”

the big case against owning small pets
kenny torrella // vox // february 2026
This was a very convincing case?  I’m sure there’s another side but I was like, oh wow, it’s true that my hamster I don’t think was very happy. But mostly this is about birds and snakes.

An Audience of Athletes: The Rise and Fall of Feminist Sports
frankie de la Creataz // longreads // may 2019
Did you know there was a magazine entirely devoted to women’s sports, published by Billie Jean King, that ran from 1974-1984 (and continued existing “in various forms and iterations until 2000) and had around 70,000 subscribers within its first year? But of course it struggled mightily to stay afloat.

Patricia Cornwell’s Wikipedia Page

Kayla: Have you read Patricia Cornwell's wikipedia page? Because that's worth your time. Riese: i will right now oh my god it keeps getting better and better

The Laid-off Scientists and Lawyers Training AI to Steal Their Careers
josh dzieza // new york magazine // march 2026
Keep thinking about this one! In a bad way!