Obscure meme costumes are sucking the joy from the holiday.

What we can learn from real-life urbanization to improve online living

And new fiction by Elizabeth Strout. Two short book reviews.

No wonder Russia finds its useful idiots among the extremely online.

The genomes of meerkats could help researchers solve some puzzles in human heart disease.

Join me on weekly deep dives into my favorite words and phrases from Atlantic crosswords.

Solvers must develop strong intuitions about what entries are possible and how they can be clued.

So is meditation. And push-ups. And breathing.

A collection of Atlantic writing on the joy and frustration of the quest