Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

GQ

Grip Strength Is An Indicator of How You’re Aging—Here’s Why That Matters

Plus, why you shouldn’t go all in on your grip strength if you want to live a longer, healthier life.

BBC Travel

The Woman Who Walked Around the World

Seeking a deeper connection to the world, Angela Maxwell set off to walk it alone. Six years and 20,000 miles later, she brought that connection home.

Shondaland

It’s Okay to Be Needy in Romantic Relationships

Having a need for consistent connection with your partner is actually a sign of emotional maturity.

Mental Floss

35 Lesser-Known Inventions of Famous Inventors

You’ve heard of the light bulb and the telephone, but what about Thomas Edison’s terrifying talking doll and Alexander Graham Bell’s metal detector?

Condé Nast Traveler

Can Aviation Ever Be Sustainable?

As a growing number of passengers take to the skies, a viable path towards climate-friendly innovations in air travel is filled with challenges.

CityLab

The Good, Bad, and Ugly Public Transit Seat Covers of the World

An international roundup of bus, train, and subway seat designs, based on CityLab’s rules for a commuter-friendly textile.

Slate

Playtime Is Over!

The modern demand to constantly pretend-play with our kids is exhausting. Is there a better way?

Greater Good Magazine

Instead of Pulling Out Your Phone, Let Your Mind Wander

When we’re waiting, we often have the urge to distract ourselves—but a new study finds we’d enjoy doing nothing but think.

Scientific American

What a Body Built to Last 100 Years Would Look Like

We would look a lot different if evolution had designed the human body to work well for a century or more.

Harvard Business Review

Relax, Turn Off Your Phone, and Go to Sleep

In the current fast-paced and technology driven world, a good night’s sleep is more important than ever.

Popular Science

5 Nutrition Goals That Are Better Than Weight Loss

These tricks are more sustainable than restricting food—and healthier, too.

Bon Appétit

Fall-Apart Caramelized Cabbage

This is one of the easiest, most delicious ways to cook down a whole head of cabbage until it’s falling-apart tender.

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

Thursday, July 24

The Atlantic

A Flooded Wedding

Despite flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains, Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar decided to stick to their planned wedding date yesterday, and held the ceremony inside a flooded church in the Philippines.

The New York Times

The Trouble With Wanting Men

Women are so fed up with men that the phenomenon even has a name: heterofatalism. So what do we do with our desire?

Glamour

What Is Mushroom Coffee? Everything to Know About the Buzzy Drink

Get your caffeine fix with added wellness benefits.

The Washington Post

For Influencers With Down Syndrome, Success Comes With Complications

Social media has brought fame and money to some accounts featuring people with Down syndrome. It’s also brought concerns, driven by potentially exploitative AI technology.

Aeon

Humanlike?

Interpreting the emotional lives of animals requires a subtler and more nuanced understanding of anthropomorphism.

NPR

Are High-Protein Snacks Worth the Hype? Here’s How to Assess

Protein has taken over the packaged-snack aisles at the grocery store. But do you need extra protein in your chips and muffins?

The Guardian

Eleven-Minute Race for Food: How Aid Points in Gaza Became ‘Death Traps’

Hundreds of people have died while seeking food since delivery was taken over by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in May. But Palestinians facing extreme hunger have no choice but to take the risk.

Harper's Magazine

Your Face Tomorrow

The puzzle of AI facial recognition.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Kiplinger

A Financial Planner’s Prescription for the Headache of Multiple Retirement Accounts

Having a bunch of retirement accounts can cause unnecessary complications. Consolidation can make it easier to manage your savings and potentially improve investment outcomes.

USA TODAY

Pam Bondi Reportedly Told Donald Trump in May That He’s Named in Epstein Files

Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that he was named multiple times in the government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and CNN.

The New York Times

How Native Homes in New Mexico Are Tapping the Sun

An Indigenous-led nonprofit group is bringing solar power to Navajo Nation and the Hopi tribe, where about 15,000 households lack access to electricity.

Real Simple

Staging a Home? These 5 Design Trends Could Actually Turn Buyers Off

If you’re looking to make your home more appealing to buyers, avoid these design mistakes.

NPR

Tesla Profits Slide 16%, Despite Elon Musk’s Pivot Back to His Companies

The earnings report follows a 13.5% drop in sales this quarter, compared to the same period a year ago.

CBS News

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Says Sports Must Comply With Trump’s Order on Transgender Athletes

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports, telling sports governing bodies it has an “obligation to comply” with federal policy.

Polygon

The Best-Selling PS5 Game of 2025 So Far Is an Xbox Port

Forza Horizon 5 is being played by millions of people on PlayStation.

POLITICO

Meet Amy Jeffress, Biden’s New Personal Lawyer

Amy Jeffress is a well-known lawyer in Washington, but it’s her work for the Jan. 6 select committee that has best prepared her to represent Joe Biden.

The Associated Press

Giant Trolls Have a Message for Humans About Protecting the Planet

Danish artist Thomas Dambo creates giant wooden trolls from recycled materials to promote environmental awareness.

The Ringer

Shooter McGavin Is Forever

After nearly three decades, the golfer that everyone loves to hate finally makes his return to the big screen in ‘Happy Gilmore 2.’ But it’s not like anyone ever forgot Shooter.

Popular Mechanics

We’re All Being Dragged Into a Giant Invisible Structure, Scientists Say

Our galaxy isn’t being dragged into a supercluster. It’s being dragged into a super-supercluster.

Outside

My Favorite Part About Outdoor Skills Is Learning Them

Tackling new wilderness skills can be intimidating and complicated, but the challenge is the entire point

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Slate

Narcissists Aren’t Really So Bad. Just Ask These Narcissists.

The diagnosable illness is also the internet’s punching bag. These narcissists have had enough.

SELF

5 Clear Signs You’ve Moved on From Your Ex—and Are Ready to Date Again

Are you looking to meet someone new for who they are…or who they remind you of?

HuffPost

This Unfair Job Interview Question Can Instantly Determine If You’re Hired — and It’s Very Common

Experts offer advice on how to answer this tricky question — and still get the job.

The Conversation

Just How Germy Is the Public Pool? An Infectious Disease Expert Weighs In

Most pool-related illnesses won’t kill you, but no one wants to spend their vacation or a week of beautiful summer days in the bathroom.

CNBC

The 10 Best U.S. States to Retire—It’s About More Than ‘Just the Number of Sunny Days and Taxes’

If you want affordability, access to health care and neighborhood safety, you may want to look outside historically popular retirement destinations.

CNET

I Asked Pro Chefs: What Are the Most Worthless Kitchen Tools?

Save your money and a little space in your cupboard by skipping these 20 kitchen gadgets.

Time

The Surprising Reason Your Groceries Are More Expensive

A new study shows how extreme weather events are correlated to specific food price spikes in the immediate aftermath.

USA TODAY

You’re Never Going to Believe What People Are Returning to Costco

Shoppers pushing the limits of Costco’s famously lenient “risk-free 100% satisfaction” return policy by getting full refunds for sagging sofas and stained mattresses are dividing the internet.

The Conversation

Dogs Are Helping People Regulate Stress Even More Than Expected, Research Shows

In a 2022 survey of 3,000 U.S. adults, more than one-third of respondents reported that on most days, they feel “completely overwhelmed” by stress.

HuffPost

11 Signs You’re Struggling With ‘Boreout’ at Work

Here’s how to recognize this workplace phenomenon that impacts mental health, job satisfaction and more.

The Associated Press

More Americans Shift Money From Checking and Savings to Accounts With Investment Income, Study Says

New research finds that more Americans are shifting their money from checking and savings accounts into financial vehicles that pay an investment income.

USA TODAY

RFK Jr. to Remove Controversial Ingredient From All Flu Vaccines in the US

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed a controversial recommendation July 23 from a vaccine panel that advised removing thimerosal from all influenza vaccines. Thimerosal is a preservative that has largely been phased out of U.S.