A curated selection of news and stories for your midday escape.

Lunch Break Reads is simple: every weekday around noon, I’ll send you a handful of great reads to make your lunch break smarter and more satisfying. Think of it as a break from the doomscroll; just well-written articles, essays, odd news, and fun finds from across the web.

Rest in Peace: Robert Redford, actor, director, environmentalist, dead at 89 by Tricia Escobedo (CNN)

What Has ChatGPT Become? Less synthetic brain, more replacement for the whole internet. by John Herrman (Intelligencer)

LimeWire acquires Fyre Festival, asking 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong?' by Rob Wile (NBC News)

A U.S. sailor was killed on the day WWII officially ended. His remains have now been identified. by Kerry Breen (CBS News)

My wife and I had couples therapy on TV. It nearly wrecked our marriage by Boris Fishman (The Guardian)

The Many Faces of Jason Porter by Jane Gerster (Toronto Life)

Lizzo Starts Over The pop star’s success once felt radical. Can she capture the Zeitgeist again? by Allison P. Davis (Vulture)

When regions around the US will see peak fall foliage by Kyle Reiman (ABC News)

Cheating scandal rocks world stone skimming championships by Benjamin Russell (BBC)

Rare ‘tooth-in-eye’ surgery restores man’s vision after two decades by Asuka Koda (CNN)

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