Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Greater Good Magazine

36 Questions That Can Help Kids Make Friends

A question-and-answer exercise may help middle schoolers build friendships, including with kids of different ethnicities.

Slate

Just Read the Book Already

Digital culture doesn’t have to make you a shallow reader. But you have to do something about it.

Literary Hub

The 32 Most Iconic Poems in the English Language

Plus some bonus poems, because we love you.

BBC Worklife

The Harmful Ableist Language You Unknowingly Use

Some of our most common, ingrained expressions have damaging effects on millions of people – and many of us don’t know we’re hurting others when we speak.

Quanta Magazine

Proof Finds That All Change Is a Mix of Order and Randomness

All descriptions of change are a unique blend of chance and determinism, according to the sweeping mathematical proof of the “weak Pinsker conjecture.”

The Conversation

Five Tips to Help You Get Your Children Reading for Pleasure

...with five books chosen by children.

Epicurious

How to Store Basil

If you want that bouquet of basil to last more than a day, keep it on your countertop.

Truly*Adventurous

Murder in Whip City

A respected professor shot dead through the window of a stately mansion. A quaint New England town shaken to its core. Enemies hiding in plain sight become suspects.

Narratively

The One-Eyed African Queen Who Defeated the Roman Empire

Cocky male monarchs underestimated Queen Amanirenas for her gender, her race, and her disability. Each time, they did so at their own peril.

Nir Eyal

Stop Confusing Habits for Routines: What You Need To Know

Trying to build good habits can often backfire. Here’s why it’s important to know how habits are formed and when it’s better to stick with a routine instead.

Apartment Therapy

How To Declutter Your Closet With a Single Box

I added this one tiny (and free) thing to my closet and instantly started decluttering my clothes.

Delish

This Is the Healthiest Vegetable in the World, According to Experts

Here’s why watercress is so good for you.

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

Friday, July 11

Elle

How a ‘Breakup Moon’ Trip Helped Us Say Goodbye

My boyfriend and I knew our relationship was over. We decided to go to New Zealand anyway.

Substack

The Death of Partying in the U.S.A.—and Why It Matters

Young Americans today spend 70 percent less time attending or hosting parties than they did at the beginning of the 21st century. Why?

The New York Times

How a Single Overdose Unraveled an Empire of Heroin

A man’s death after using “Flow” in a small Vermont city exposed a drug operation that spanned continents and sent a New York prosecutor on a heartbreaking journey.

Texas Monthly

At 40, She Discovered She Was One of America’s Best Free Divers

Sara Burnett went from an introductory course to a world championship in just over a year.

Slate

The Menagerie Lurking in Rural America

Many people still own exotic animals like they’re any other pet. But they’re not.

The New Yorker

How to Save a Dog

For nearly a year, a motley crew scoured New Orleans for a shaggy white mutt named Scrim.

WIRED

AI Is a Lousy Chef

I asked an AI-powered recipe generator to make some menus. It didn’t tell me to put glue in my guacamole, but the results didn’t come close to besting recipes written by professionals.

ABC

Finding Robert Bogucki, the Man Who Disappeared on Purpose

In 1999 a young American dumped his bicycle and walked out into the Great Sandy Desert. Why was he willing to risk his life, and why do some people need to get lost in order to feel found?

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

SELF

6 Common Nutrition Habits Sports Dietitians Think Are Wrecking Your Workouts

Spoiler: Protein isn’t everything.

Time

Measles Cases Are at a 33-Year High. Experts Warn Other Diseases Could Follow

Public health experts are sounding the alarm that other diseases could experience a similar resurgence.

Smithsonian Magazine

How Underwater Archaeology Brings Secrets to the Surface, From Lost Shipwrecks to Submerged Cities

An immersive new exhibition at the Intrepid Museum in New York City spotlights the science and technology behind the discipline

ProPublica

The Texas Flash Flood Is a Preview of the Chaos to Come

Climate change is making disasters more common, more deadly and far more costly, even as the federal government is running away from the policies that might begin to protect the nation.

Literary Hub

How Does a Critic Write a Novel About Critics?

Charlotte Runcie on the symbiotic relationship between artists and those who review them.

The Ringer

The Last Grand Slam Stand of Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have won the last six men’s Grand Slams and surpassed Djokovic in the rankings. But this weekend could be Djokovic’s last, best chance to add to his tally—and win at the place where his tennis dreams began.

BBC

What Your Snot Can Reveal About Your Health

Snot plays a powerful role in protecting us from disease – and its colour alone can provide insights into what’s going on in our bodies.

Vanity Fair

Veteran Sportswriter Thinks the WNBA Failed to Grasp the Caitlin Clark Revolution

In a new book, Christine Brennan answers her critics and argues that league management could have prevented some of the backlash Clark has faced.

Canary Media

What’s the Best Time to Buy an EV? Right Now.

Trump’s megabill ends the consumer tax credits for EVs in September. But until then, shoppers can still use them to lock in lower prices — and great lease…

Sportico

Penn State’s Pegula Money Paved Way for Hockey Star McKenna

Penn State hockey, fresh off a Frozen Four appearance, has landed star recruit Gavin McKenna—an unlikely feat without the Pegulas’ 2010 investment.

CNET

Im Never Splitting AirPods With My Wife Again Thanks to This iPhone Trick

As long as we each have our own set of AirPods, we can watch videos and movies together on an iPhone or iPad.

NBC News

Superman or ‘Superwoke’? Right-Wing Critics of the New DC Movie Say the Latter

Some conservatives expressed outrage about James Gunn’s latest film. But the superhero’s status as an immigrant has long been a core part of his identity.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Psyche

What to Do When Someone Goes on the Defensive

Our natural impulses often make matters worse. Here’s an approach that works, grounded in conflict resolution and psychology.

Harvard Business Review

New Research on Why Teams Overwork—and What Leaders Can Do About It

Why do so many high-performing professionals keep working at a punishing pace, even when it damages their health, relationships, and personal well-being?

NBC News

Job Scams Are on the Rise and More People Are Falling for Them

As job-seekers look for work in a challenging environment, an increasing number are falling victim to job scams that promise good pay for completing easy online tasks, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

USA TODAY

Increase Your Social Security Income in Retirement With Three Powerful Moves

There's a reason people are commonly advised not to retire on Social Security alone. The average monthly benefit won't go very far in helping seniors cover their costs.

Vox

For Years, Women Complained That This Medical Procedure Was Painful. Doctors Are Finally Listening.

How a common birth control method became the center of a reckoning.

Gizmodo

This Cough Syrup Ingredient Might Actually Slow Dementia

Several larger trials of ambroxol for Parkinson's are already underway.

The New York Times

Measles Cases Hit Record High, 25 Years After U.S. Eliminated the Disease

Experts worry that if vaccination rates do not improve, deadly outbreaks will become the new normal.

Harvard Business Review

How to Identify the Perfect Cofounder

One of the first and most important decisions entrepreneurs make is whether to go it alone or bring on cofounders.

CNBC

‘Revenge Savings’ Can Boost Your Bottom Line, Experts Say — Here’s How to Get Started

Saving more money is a perennial resolution, but emotions shouldn't drive that habit, financial experts say. Instead, be intentional. Here's how to get started.

The Atlantic

I Fought Plastic. Plastic Won

My futile quest to avoid the material that my entire world is made out of.

The Washington Post

I’m a Gastroenterologist. Here’s Why I Tell My Patients to Eat This One Fruit.

Kiwis can boost your gut health. They may also lower triglycerides and cancer risk.

Harvard Business Review

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

People worry that others will see them as immoral and incompetent for quitting their passion. These fears are often misplaced.