A Russian network sanctioned by the UK for misinformation was linked to false rumours about the Princess of Wales.

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.

What’s the scariest part of Halloween? Maybe it’s how far we’ve strayed from the spirit of the holiday, a night meant to be celebrated with eager trick-or-treaters and over-the-top costumes. A recent gripe about the holiday comes from the writer Kate Lindsay, who notes that  “Halloween has been steadily succumbing to the chronically online for years now.” More costumes target niche social-media-savvy audiences, meaning fewer people are experiencing the delight of seeing more traditional getups (think: a grown man dressed as a pumpkin, or a toddler version of the president).

Following the norms on Halloween may seem boring, but give them a chance, Kate argues. The spookiest day of the year is also a day of socialization and joy—one where people can gorge themselves on candy, watch a horror flick, or dress in whatever silly costumes they want, as long as they do it together.

On Halloween

The Chronically Online Have Stolen Halloween

By Kate Lindsay

Obscure meme costumes are sucking the joy from the holiday.

Read the article.

Big Candy Bars Have No Place on Halloween

By Ian Bogost

They ruin the “fun” of the fun-size treat.

Read the article.

Trick-or-Treating Isn’t What It Used to Be

By Julie Beck

Instead of going door-to-door on Halloween night, many parents are taking their kids elsewhere to get candy.

Read the article.

Still Curious?

The Halloween scare that won’t go away: For 40 years, Joel Best has tried to debunk the unfounded fear that bad actors might tamper with children’s trick-or-treat stashes, Caroline Mimbs Nyce wrote in 2022. What to do with that rotting pumpkin corpse: Millions end up rotting in landfills. But Halloween’s leftover pumpkins don’t have to go to waste, Linda Poon and CityLab wrote in 2019.

Other Diversions

This influencer says you can’t parent too gently. Americans are hoarding their friends. Six political memoirs worth reading

P.S.

Courtesy of Cynthia Case

I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “A few years ago I was stealthily photographing birds at a local park while sitting in my car,” Cynthia Case, 68, from Laguna Woods, California, writes. “The day had turned misty and cold, and just as I was preparing to leave, this bobcat appeared out of nowhere.”

I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.

— Isabel Fattal