Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Inverse

How a Simple Mario Spinoff Perfected the Party Game Formula

Better with friends.

The Guardian

The Lost Girls: ‘Chaotic and Curious, Women With ADHD All Have Missed Red Flags That Haunt Us’

After multiple burnouts, in my early 30s I finally knew why life sometimes felt harder for me. It made perfect sense, so why had no one noticed before?

Narratively

How Conquering the Disney Cosplay Universe Helped Me Finally Love My Body

As a kid, I thought I was too fat to dress up as my favorite cartoon characters. As an adult, I discovered a subculture that became one of the greatest joys of my life.

The Guardian

How Woodworking Is Helping People Carve Out Inner Peace

The craft is gaining popularity among those in search of a way to slow down, switch off and improve mental health.

The Atlantic

A Sneaky Theory of Where Language Came From

It might have hijacked our early ancestors’ brains.

MIT Press Reader

What Irony Is Not

A handy guide to distinguishing the notoriously slippery concept from its distant cousins coincidence, satire, parody, and paradox.

Quanta Magazine

Machines Beat Humans on a Reading Test. But Do They Understand?

A tool known as BERT can now beat humans on advanced reading-comprehension tests. But it's also revealed how far AI has to go.

Elle

Why Won’t People Just Let Me Not Be a Mom?

No, I’m not a “fur mama,” a “plant mommy,” and I did not “birth” my book.

Literary Hub

The Real Dracula Is a Detective Story

Forget what you think you know about the ur-vampire story. Bram Stoker’s masterpiece was a sprawling, radical detective novel.

Scott Young

You Fail to Reach Your Goals Because You Designed Them Badly

No one is preconditioned to fail. If you’re struggling with a project, perhaps it’s time for a different approach.

Fast Company

What to Do When You Feel Like You Don’t Fit In at Work

Culture fit isn’t just a fluffy goal. Having friends at work is important for your productivity and happiness.

BBC Culture

Why Being Messy Is Good for You

From “non-aesthetic” homes to Frazzled English Woman and Marie Kondo, there’s a new wave of realism about what our lives are like. Holly Williams explores the life-changing magic of mess.

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

Saturday, August 9

The Associated Press

The World Nearly Beat Polio. But Fake Records, an Imperfect Vaccine and Missteps Aided Its Comeback.

The World Health Organization has closed in on its bold goal of eradicating polio several times, but the paralytic virus is entrenched in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

BBC

How ’Keep Calm and Carry On’ Became a Divisive 21st-Century Phenomenon

After a forgotten WW2 propaganda poster was discovered in 2000, it found an astounding new resonance in 21st-Century Britain – becoming an endlessly memeable template that is both cherished and mocked.

Lifehacker

Are ‘Ultra-Processed’ Foods Really That Bad for You?

They’ve been linked to heart disease and other health conditions.

The Guardian

Knife Throwing and Cheeseburger Spinning: The Agony and Ecstasy of Being a Viral Trickshot Video Star

Think you could throw a basketball off a 540ft dam, into a hoop – while blindfolded? Meet the talented and ludicrously patient people putting hours into the internet’s most joyful (and pointless) clips.

Saveur

That Chewy, Bouncy Texture You Love Has a Name

Whether in boba tea, cuttlefish, rice noodles, or cassava dough, the texture of QQ connects people across cultures and generations.

Condé Nast Traveler

16 Golden Rules That Business Travelers Swear By

People who constantly hit the road for work share what they wish they’d known from the jump.

Food52

Our 10 Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes of All Time

From crispy to chewy, we’ve collected the best of the best.

The New Yorker

The Internet Wants to Check Your I.D.

New safety rules require users to verify their identities before gaining access to sites. This spells the end of the relative anonymity that we’ve come to expect online.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Nature

Monoclonal Antibodies Revolutionized Biomedical Science and Health Care

The story of the discovery of these molecules 50 years ago shows how the free exchange of ideas can lead to life-changing treatments.

Gizmodo

Astronomers Discover the Earliest Black Hole Ever Confirmed

The ancient behemoth was present just 500 million years after the Big Bang.

Business Insider

She Pitched a New Department at Google. Here’s Her Advice on Selling Big Ideas to Leadership.

Google executive Mira Lane breaks down how she successfully pitched and launched the tech giant’s Envisioning Studio.

The Baffler

Apocalypse 24/7

We can hardly make sense of the idea of the end of the world without attending to all the other worlds that ended before our own.

Popular Mechanics

These Tombs Were Hidden for 2,100 Years. Archaeologists Just Found the Warriors Inside.

And not just the warriors—the archaeologists also found their horses.

MIT Technology Review

Five Ways That AI Is Learning to Improve Itself

From coding to hardware, LLMs are speeding up research progress in artificial intelligence. It could be the most important trend in AI today.

The Hollywood Reporter

Are Hollywood’s Style Ambassadors Holding up Their End on Red Carpets?

A Sept. 4 webinar co-hosted by Launchmetrics and The Hollywood Reporter will offer tips and insight to realize maximum impact in dressing placements.

Kiplinger

Five Ways to Adapt Your Charitable Giving Strategy in a Changing World: An Expert Guide

Economic uncertainty, global events and increasing wealth are shaping the charitable landscape this year. Here are the philanthropic trends and some tips that could help affluent donors optimize their impact.

Popular Science

Your Frenchie’s Squishy Face Might Shape Their Personality

French bulldogs, pugs, and other short-nosed breeds may be innately calm—but will only stay so if they’re properly trained.

Word In Black

Why We Need More Diverse Special Education Teachers

Teachers of color positively impact all kids, including students with disabilities. Yet, the SPED teacher workforce is overwhelmingly white.

Harper's Bazaar

A Guide to Pamela Anderson’s Complete Dating History

From her infamous marriage to Tommy Lee, to her pandemic wedding to bodyguard Dan Hayhurst, to her current romance with “Naked Gun” costar Liam Neeson

ESPN

WNBA 2025: Impact Players for Teams’ End-of-Season Success

The margin for error is shrinking as the playoffs approach. Who will be the difference-makers for their teams?

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

SELF

5 Subtle Signs You Might Actually Be in a Codependent Relationship

And how to regain your independence without having to drift apart.

SELF

9 Exercises for Knee Pain to Help You Move (and Feel) Better

Strengthen and stretch your way to happier joints.

Psyche

Does Progress Seem Slower When You Constantly Check on It?

Research on how we perceive the rate of change shows how you can be strategic about goal tracking and boost your motivation.

Kiplinger

Are You Leaving Money on the Table? Four Strategies to Free up Stuck Investments

From forgotten 401(k)s to outdated asset allocations, stuck money can hurt your retirement. Here’s what to do about it.

NPR

Why Short Breaks to Move Around Are Crucial for Your Creative Process

When bestselling author Kelly Corrigan’s creativity runs low or her mood turns, she doesn’t power through. Here are her tips for connecting your body to your creative process and getting unstuck.

SELF

5 Things Every ‘Conflict Avoidant’ Person Should Do Before Any Difficult Conversation

The word “conflict” usually brings to mind raised voices or awkward tension—outcomes most people would rather avoid.

CNBC

What Private Assets in 401(K) Plans Mean for Investors: ‘You’re Only Asking for Trouble,’ One Advisor Says

Millions of investors may soon have access to private assets in their 401(k) or other workplace retirement plans. What to know about the risks and rewards.

SELF

5 Injuries ER Doctors See All the Time—and How to Avoid Them

You might be surprised by the seemingly innocuous behaviors that cause them.

Allure

Inside the World of Professional Back-Scratching

“I just want to pay someone to tickle my back.”

Slate

I Responded to One of the Spam Texts From a “Recruiter”—Then Took the Job. It Got Weirder Than I Could Have Imagined.

I responded to one of those spam texts from a “recruiter”—then took the job. It got weirder than I could have imagined.

Harvard Business Review

Research: When It’s Time to Leave a Career You’re Passionate About

From commencement speeches to career advice columns, the call to “follow your passion” is all around us.

The Conversation

Are You in a Mid-Career to Senior Job? Don’t Fear AI – You Could Have This Important Advantage

If you have decades of work experience, your skills may be exactly what’s needed to harness AI’s power, without falling into its traps.