Yes, I’m a book nerd. Always have been and always will be. Ever since third or fourth grade, I remember having to do book reports and actually loving it while almost every other kid dreaded this horrible and time-wasting activity. While other kids selected the absolute thinnest of books that they could get away with, I remember selecting larger than usual books to read not because I wanted to impress my teachers or upset the quota, but rather, I wanted, even at that age, to more thoroughly understand the story and characters within it. A book of mere 70 or 100 pages was blasphemy. It is this love of reading that is still present within me today and likely will be until I’m six feet under.

While I’ve read tons of books and novels since then, it really wasn’t until these past couple of years that I started diving into non-fiction. While I’ll always have a place for reading about sword fights, wizards casting spells, and spaceships traveling to different galaxies while fighting space pirates along the way, I discovered that some of the craziest stuff, and I do mean the batshit crazy stuff, has happened right here on planet Earth, whether in the past or presently happening. These are things that I think not even the most brilliant and imaginative fiction authors can dream of coming up with. Non-fiction, I’m sure, is not what kids will go to first when looking for something fun to read. That was surely what I thought growing up. But just like how there are many types of fictional book genres to choose from, non-fiction can also present you with a host of topics that you likely didn’t even know you’d be interested in. Ever wonder how a sitting United States president was committed of political sabotage and espionage? There’s the Watergate Scandal. What about learning how one of the most successful companies at the time was actually built on a house of cards? There’s the Enron collapse. Or what about how the United States was able to control other countries without starting a war? Then reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man will leave you breathless. On and on and on. There are just too many amazing and exciting events that have happened throughout our world history that going back to reading about dragons, vampires, and aliens can seem almost pointless.

OK, so what am I getting at here? Well, let’s just say that I’ve hit a big milestone in the number of years I’ve been alive. Since I can’t suspend time and be able to read and learn about all the awesome wonders of our world, I need to start looking for a smarter and more efficient way to curb my appetite for non-fictional stories. I remember a while ago learning that while there are Pulitzer Prize winners for special books every year, there are also winners for some of the best journalism articles of the year, especially investigative ones. I was blown away after having read some of them. Now this is something I can get behind. First of all, the articles are long enough to help engage readers like myself who want something a bit more in-depth than your typical news articles. Secondly, the journalists who write these articles many times spend half a year to a year or even longer covering the topic. That is pure dedication. And yes, I’m sure they are putting their personal lives in dangerous peril because the topics they cover usually put the spotlight on the people and companies that do not want it during their investigation. Thirdly, because of the longer format, the journalists I’d assume are able to write and cover the entire story or investigation more freely without really having to worry too much about word count. Last of all, long-form journalism articles can serve as a great substitute for learning about topics or events that normally wouldn’t have interested you.

It’s with great excitement that I have found an online website/service that helps curate the most interesting long-form articles around the Internet and presents them to you! What a niche service, but so well thought out! We have services that help curate our music, videos to binge on, food, clothes, and even cologne and perfume. So, why not a service to help bring to your inbox a list of the most interesting and most-read articles around the Internet? Ladies and gentlemen, I highly suggest you take a look at this service called Longreads at https://longreads.com. It looks like they’ve been around since 2011 and actually is a part of Automattic, the makers of WordPress.com. I’ve just recently signed up for their daily and weekly newsletter and am looking at their back catalog of recommendations. So far, I’m amazed at how many of these long-form journalistic articles there are to consume! Many articles seem to be between 2,500 and 4,000 words or more. Yes, please!

Although the majority of the articles Longreads will recommend are from other institutions, I was surprised to learn that they also have Longreads Originals in which readers submit their own stories and essays. Another yes, please! In addition, some articles can be behind a paywall, for instance, articles from The New York Times. One of the biggest appeals of a service like Longreads for readers such as myself is how I no longer have to decide what my next non-fiction book will be. As much fun as it is learning about the many different topics I’ve come across through my non-fiction reading journey, there are times when I get stuck and can’t decide. With Longreads, I no longer have to decide. No longer do I have to scour Reddit looking for suggestions on which online publication provides the best stories. No longer do I have to monitor RSS feeds hoping to discover an interesting article. Actually, discovering Longreads comes right on the heels of my new two-year subscription to Harper magazine (it beat out The New Yorker). Longreads really is the best of both worlds in that I get to learn something random and new while still getting my fix for a longer type of read. OK, so maybe it may not be completely random, as I still have to actually selectively choose an article out of the two or four articles presented daily or weekly, as it would be too time-consuming to read them all. Here’s where suspending time would be so helpful once again.

For readers with a Kindle, you’d definitely want to take advantage of the Send to Kindle browser extension. For Kobo readers, there is Pocket. Being on my laptop all day, it feels refreshing to be able to wind down in the evening to read on my Kindle. These types of long-form articles are the perfect complement to your ebooks. Let’s just say that it won’t be long before I become a supporting member of Longreads. Long live long form journalism and journalists in general!