Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Nautilus

Parasites Are Us

How biological invaders challenge our idea of self and other.

Inc.

How to Train Your Brain to Get What You Want in 60 Days

You are the designer of your destiny.

Atlas Obscura

The Pirate Who Penned the First English-Language Guacamole Recipe

His food-writing firsts included the use of the words “barbecue” and “chopsticks.”

Smithsonian Magazine

A 16-Million-Year-Old Tree Tells a Deep Story of the Passage of Time

The sequoia tree slab is an invitation to begin thinking about a vast timescale that includes everything from fossils of armored amoebas to the great Tyrannosaurus rex.

Greater Good Magazine

How Cultural Differences Shape Your Gratitude

Americans say thanks a lot, but other cultures may have a deeper understanding of gratitude.

The Atlantic

Parents Are Sacrificing Their Social Lives on the Altar of Intensive Parenting

Inequality has seemingly caused many American parents to jettison friendships and activities in order to invest more resources in their kids.

Harvard Business Review

3 Timeless Rules for Making Tough Decisions

We spend an inordinate amount of time, and a tremendous amount of energy, making choices. Here's how to make the process easier.

Afar

A Blind Man’s Trip Will Change the Way You Think About Safaris

A visually impaired traveler journeys through the wilds of Zimbabwe and discovers a side of the safari experience that very few know.

The Washington Post

How Do We Get Our 4-Year-Old To Stop Negotiating and Respect Our Rules?

She’s only 4, but she’s already trying to negotiate the rules and her punishments with her parents.

Mental Floss

The Dark and Mysterious Origins of 10 Classic Nursery Rhymes

Mother Goose has got a bit of a dark streak, as evidenced by the unexpectedly sinister theories surrounding the origins of these well-known nursery rhymes.

The Atlantic

The Long History of Discrimination in Pain Medicine

X-rays and other “objective"" instruments influenced controversies about whose pain should be believed.

The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)

Viktor Frankl on the Human Search for Meaning

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

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

Sunday, August 17

CBS News

This Car Ranks as America’s Most-Stolen Vehicle

Here’s why one Chevrolet model is the most-stolen type of car, according to a new report.

ESPN

The Predatory Web of Sextortion Increasingly Ensnares Young Athletes

A Michigan teen was goaded into sharing an intimate photo that scammers threatened to expose unless he paid up.

BBC

How Kentucky Bourbon Went From Boom to Bust

Tariffs, oversupply and teetotaling Gen-Zs have all contributed to the downfall of one of America’s most iconic liquors.

NPR

Recommendation: New Books Published This Week

A portrait of the lucrative drug-treatment industry; a memoir of a female firefighter; debut fiction from an Emmy-winning TV writer; and a brand new Karin Slaughter thriller.

NPR

Why the Origin of the Word ‘Dog’ Remains a Mystery

They’re known as man’s best friends, fur babies, pooches. But the most widely used word for these beloved animals — “dog” — is also a great linguistic mystery.

The Conversation

Can Air Conditioning Really Make You Sick? A Microbiologist Explains.

If an air conditioning system malfunctions or isn’t properly maintained, it can become contaminated with infectious microbes.

BBC

A Dating App, a Niqab and a 9mm Gun: How a US Woman Was Hired to End a UK Family Feud

The investigation into the Wisconsin native revealed her to be “fairly unexceptional” with virtually no “criminal footprint”. And it remains unclear why she became a would-be contract killer.

The Guardian

Why Do I Feel So Much Worse After a Nap – and How Can I Avoid It?

Waking up from a nap feeling groggy, tired or ill? Experts say it’s common. Here’s what could be going wrong.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

NBC News

HHS Revives Task Force on Childhood Vaccine Safety

A lawsuit claims Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. violated a 1986 law by failing to set up a task force to make childhood vaccines safer.

Nature

Summer 2025 Is Roasting Hot: These Charts Show Why It Matters

Data reveal how this year’s back-to-back heatwaves are affecting populations and economies across Europe.

Smithsonian Magazine

A 2,000-Year-Old Sun Hat Worn by a Roman Soldier in Egypt Goes on View After a Century in Storage

The felt cap—one of only three surviving examples of its kind—was recently conserved by a museum in England.

Fast Company

Retail Sales Rise in July As Shoppers Rush to Spend Ahead of Tariffs

The increases followed two consecutive months of spending declines in April and May.

Nieman Journalism Lab

Independent Journalist Molly White Knows How to Follow the Memecoin

The cryptocurrency and tech newsletter Citation Needed is pay-what-you-want. White currently has about 29,000 subscribers including about 2,400 paid subscribers despite the lack of a paywall.

Axios

Scoop: White House Loyalty Rating for Companies

The unusual scorecard fits this administration’s habit of micromanaging companies and administering loyalty tests.

The Atlantic

Why So Many MIT Students Are Writing Poetry

A professor at the Institute discovered that his students were quietly meeting outside class to write verse. What might it mean for the future of AI?

Literary Hub

Memoir on a Hill: Finding the Best Way to Tell the Story of America

“What this country needs right now is The Great American Memoir!” said no one. “It needs a memoir that will not only unify the fractured American spirit, it’ll douse wildfires and lower sea levels. It’ll make homeownership affordable. Hell, it might even lead to a new Outkast album.”

Big Think

“Going Nuclear” Makes the Case for an Atomic Renaissance

In “Going Nuclear,” nuclear chemist Tim Gregory argues that nuclear energy is essential for solving global challenges such as climate change.

Serious Eats

Banana Bread, but Make It a Layered, Crowd-Pleasing Showstopper

This banana bread trifle layers brown sugar pastry cream, caramelized bananas, gingersnap crumbs, and whipped cream for a comforting, crowd-pleasing dessert.

The Conversation

Is Mineral Water ‘Natural’ If It’s Filtered? The Debate Gripping France Today Has Raged Since the 18th-Century

Is a thing still ‘natural’ if someone has subjected it to filtration?

Time

You Can Now Vaccinate Yourself Against the Flu

You no longer need a doctor to administer FluMist, the nasal flu vaccine.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

NPR

Private Equity and Crypto Could Be Heading for Your 401(K). Here’s What to Know

A recent executive order paves the way for retirement accounts to include a lot more than stock and bond funds.

The Week

What Is an Upside-Down Car Loan and How Do You Get Out of It?

This happens when the outstanding balance on a car loan exceeds the vehicle's worth.

NPR

Electricity Prices Are Climbing More Than Twice As Fast As Inflation

Electricity prices are rising more than twice as fast as overall inflation. That's especially costly during the dog days of summer when air conditioners are working hardest. In addition to hot weather, a variety of factors are causing power bills to climb, including the high cost of natural gas used to generate electricity and soaring demand from data centers.

The Local

On the Front Lines of the War Against ‘Super Lice’

With the emergence of drug-resistant nits, lice removal has become a booming business, catering to harried, itchy parents willing to pay for relief.

The Associated Press

FACT FOCUS: No, Taxpayers Will Not Receive New Stimulus Checks This Summer

This is false. Taxpayers will not receive new stimulus checks of any amount this summer, an IRS official said.

Allure

Why Is the FDA Suddenly Calling Out Foam Sunscreens?

The agency issued warnings to two beloved brands regarding alleged regulatory violations. What gives?

NPR

8 Essential Conversations to Have With Your Aging Parents

There comes a time when it’s the kid’s turn to take care of mom and dad. Here’s how to broach this sensitive subject with your parents, and what to talk about.

NBC News

Why Investors Shouldn’t Try to Be a ‘Hero’ in This Economy, Analyst Says

In other words: Stick to your long-term investment plan, including an appropriate asset allocation and time frame to reach your goals.

CBS News

AT&T Customers Could Get up to $7,500 in a $177 Million Settlement. Here’s How to File a Claim.

AT&T customers whose data was compromised in either of two data breaches, or both, are eligible to file a claim that could provide up to $7,500.

The Marginalian

Wonder, Play, and How to Be More Alive

We build our lives around structures of certainty — houses to live in, marriages to love in, ideologies to think in — and yet some primal part of us knows that none abides, knows that we pay for these comforting illusions with our very aliveness.

USA TODAY

‘The Tooth Fairy Sticks to a Budget:’ Kids Are Finding Less Under Their Pillows for Lost Teeth

Times are tough, even for kids.

KFF Health News

AUDIO: A Wild Health Insurance Hustle

A couple in New York thought they bought insurance. Instead, they got fake “jobs.”