Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

MEL Magazine

The $65 Million Art Heist That Put ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ to Shame

A billionaire playboy’s alleged murder is at the center of the world’s most confounding heist job.

Outside

These Are the Most Secluded Hikes in the U.S.

In wildlife management areas, hikers can glimpse animals in their natural, pristine habitat while getting off the beaten path.

Car and Driver

Top of the Charts: The Songs the Sound Engineers Use to Tune Your Stereo

The head of Bose’s acoustical-engineering team in Michigan walks us through the tunes that help make your car stereo sing.

Knowable Magazine

The Road to Low-Carbon Concrete

For thousands of years, humanity has had a love affair with cement and concrete. But now, industry groups and researchers are seeking solutions to the huge amounts of carbon dioxide that cement-making generates.

Epicurious

Do You Really Need to Skim Your Stock?

This one little step is the key to crystal clear stocks and restaurant-worthy demi-glaces.

Literary Hub

Notorious Literary Muses from Best to Worst

From most delightful to most questionable.

Greater Good Magazine

Is Your Empathy Biased?

Philosopher Heidi Maibom argues that our perspectives are always limited, but we can understand other people better if we learn to use empathy wisely.

The Washington Post

Got Bad Breath? You’re Probably Missing a Spot When You Brush.

Clinical trials have shown that scraping and brushing the tongue can both temporarily reduce odor-causing bacteria.

Shondaland

What Is Compassion Fatigue?

Here’s how to retain your humanity even if you’re feeling burned out.

Narratively

The Day I Realized I Could Never Make My Mom Grow Up

My stepdad always kept my mother’s mental illness and alcoholism under control. But after he suffered a massive stroke, everything went haywire.

Fast Company

How To Design Your Ideal Workday Based On Your Sleep Habits

According to sleep expert Michael Breus, you can pack the most into your working hours by knowing your sleep type.

The Hustle

Why Most Gas Stations Don’t Make Money From Selling Gas

With gas prices climbing up, you may think station owners are getting greedy. But the economics behind the pump tell a different story.

Popular Collections

Curated guides to the best reads on the web

Pocket Collections

The Art of Navigating Thorny Office Politics

From bad bosses to gossipy colleagues and, of course, office refrigerator drama.

Today’s Pocket Hits

Tuesday, July 1

Time

Is Cheese Giving You Nightmares?

For centuries, folklore and popular wisdom have linked poor eating habits and indigestion to nightmares and restless sleep.

Noema Magazine

The Unseen Fury Of Solar Storms

Lurking in every space weather forecaster’s mind is the hypothetical big one, a solar storm so huge it could bring our networked, planetary civilization to its knees.

NPR

Murders Are Down Nationwide. Researchers Point to a Key Reason.

The number of homicides is falling dramatically nationwide. In 2024, murders fell by at least 14% across the U.S.

The Guardian

How Sorry Are You? Why Learning to Apologize Well Could Save Your Relationships

Got something to say sorry for? Here are words that have no place in your apologies, according to those who have spent years analysing them.

CBS News

Here’s What’s in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” That Passed the Senate

The Senate on Tuesday narrowly passed a massive spending and tax bill that includes signature policies of President Trump's second-term agenda in a 51-50 vote that required Vice President JD Vance to break a tie.

The Cut

The Dread of Childbirth

For me, the fear I had of going into labor wasn’t just real — it was inherited.

Texas Monthly

It Was Already One of Texas’s Strangest Cold Cases. Then a Secretive Figure Appeared.

Jason Landry’s disappearance confounded the state’s top investigators. When thousands of online sleuths got involved, intrigue turned into obsession.

CNN

Discipline Is Overrated. Here’s What People Are Doing Instead.

While the conscious practice of discipline can serve as motivation for an action, discipline alone cannot create habits.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Axios

“Big, Beautiful Bill” Pushes Millions of People Away From Social Safety Net

Experts say the cuts could unleash a tidal wave of pain.

Time

History Shows Us Why a Non-Partisan U.S. Military Is Essential

When partisanship threatened to politicize the military, a Republican helped maintain the military’s legitimacy.

ESPN

NBA Free Agency 2025: Latest Signings, News, Buzz, Reports

The NBA Finals may be in full swing and the draft is on the horizon on June 25 and 26 but the NBA offseason has already started stealing the headlines.

ProPublica

These 5 Charts Show How Hotels Became New York’s Response to Homelessness

Social services agencies across the state now place nearly half of all individuals and families seeking shelter in hotels, leaving people without resources like food and help finding housing.

Texas Monthly

How Two Austin Restaurants Convinced Me That (Very) Expensive Vegan Food Is Worth It

Without Wagyu, lobster, or caviar on the menu, high-end vegan restaurants seemingly have little value to offer the omnivore. Au contraire.

Smithsonian Magazine

In a Milestone for Manhattan, a Pair of Coyotes Has Made Central Park Their Home

For six years, two photographers have carefully followed the canines and documented their secret lives

Fast Company

The 9–5 Schedule Might Be Hurting Your Team’s Performance

The standard workday favors early birds who only make up 30% of the population. An expert offers tips on what we should do instead.

Popular Science

CPSC Stresses Firework Safety With 7-Minute Montage of Mannequin Mayhem

‘Do not launch fireworks off your body this July 4th, America.’

Rolling Stone

My Best Friend’s Murder Was a Tabloid Circus. Now, I’m Looking for the Truth

When Nicole DuFresne was killed in 2005, the media twisted the narrative by latching onto a phrase she said: “What are you going to do, shoot us?”

Kiplinger

10 Best Free (or Cheap) Online Classes for Seniors and Retirees

Check out these free or affordable online classes for retirees and grab some extra smarts.

GQ

‘The Idea of Style’: Jonathan Anderson Delivers in His Dior Debut

Cargo shorts, Rihanna, and aughts sleaze: inside the most anticipated runway show of the year.

Condé Nast Traveler

A Record-Breaking 72.2 Million People Are Traveling Over July 4—Here’s How to Avoid Traffic

Expert tips for navigating this week’s 4th of July travel chaos, on the road and in the skies.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Fast Company

How to Make the Most of Your Summer Vacation

Plan to connect with loved ones and plan to disconnect from work.

The New York Times

Better Half

The midpoint of the year is an opportune moment to look back at where we’ve been, and set our sights for where we want to go.

The New York Times

Gen Z, It Turns Out, Is Great at Saving for Retirement

Brynnley Beckman is only 23, but she is already thinking about retirement. She teaches ninth grade biology at the Shelton School in Dallas and contributes 3 percent of her salary to an employer-sponsored retirement fund. She hopes to increase her contribution by 1 percent each year.

Money.com

The Ultimate Guide to Paying Less for College

Running the numbers on typical college costs can leave you feeling breathless and wondering how you’re going to afford it. Sticker prices look staggering these days, especially for private colleges.

Time

Are You Just Tired or Truly Burned Out?

Fatigue and burnout are similar, but one requires more serious attention.

CNBC

Here’s the Average 401(K) Balance by Age

When it comes to our retirement nest egg, we can't help but wonder where we stand compared to our cohorts.

The Atlantic

How to Make Your Work Your Calling

Three ways to find purpose and meaning in a job.

VICE

5 Tips for Working Through Hard Times in a Relationship

To endure the more difficult phases, each partner must be willing to put in the work and committed to the connection.

The Washington Post

Facing Entry-Level Job Crunch, New Grads Question the Value of a Degree

Gen Z is struggling to get a foot in the door professionally. They’re competing with AI and more experienced workers, and they feel alienated by hiring processes.

PBS News

4 Tips for New Grads Looking for Work in an Uncertain Market

Graduation season is winding down and millions of young people are gearing up to enter a confusing labor market. Employers and workers alike are grappling with the growing specter of generative artificial intelligence, uncertainty spurred by U.S.

The Guardian

I Was One of Those Men Who Couldn’t Stop Talking. Here’s How I Learned to Shut up and Listen

After realising how much I interrupted other people, I decided I needed to make a drastic change. Here’s how starting to listen changed my relationships – and made me happier.

The Atlantic

Your Friends Want to Help You

Big life moments offer permission to ask for assistance. You should seize it.