Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Bustle

Here's How To Practice Self-Love In Small Ways Every Day

Because you deserve to feel valuable and worthy.

Literary Hub

The Punctuation Marks Loved (and Hated) by Famous Writers

; vs. — vs. , vs. . vs. !

Inc.

To Improve Your Storytelling Skills, Use Abraham Lincoln as Inspiration

The Gettysburg Address follows a structure that will work for you, too.

Bon Appétit

7 Tips for Making Your Best Pot of Dried Beans, Even If It’s Your First

Everybody’s doing it.

Atlas Obscura

The Chocolate-Brewing Witches of Colonial Latin America

The Inquisition persecuted women who used cacao to entice lovers and spurn enemies.

Shondaland

How to Stop Overthinking

Running through too many potential scenarios in your head is a sign you may be placing too many expectations on yourself. Here’s how to curb it.

BBC News

Not Smart But Clever? The Return of ‘Dumbphones’

Dumbphones are continuing to enjoy a revival.

MEL Magazine

An Oral History of Big Mouth Billy Bass

How the famous singing fish swam to the heights of fame, before being flushed down the drain of the pop culture commode.

The Guardian

Five Ways to Improve Flexibility

Try tai chi, pilates or yoga to boost strength, eat enough protein, and dissolve tension in a warm bath. And give it time – make it part of your life.

The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)

Walt Whitman on What Makes Life Worth Living

“Tone your wants and tastes low down enough, and make much of negatives, and of mere daylight and the skies.”

Slate

Your “Dream Job” Is a Myth

It’s impossible to tell how perfect a position truly is until you’re in it.

Aeon

The Good Guy/Bad Guy Myth

Pop culture today is obsessed with the battle between good and evil. Traditional folktales never were. What changed?

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 3

The Guardian

How a Controversial Danish ‘Parenting Test’ Separated a Greenlandic Woman From Her Children

Two hours after Keira Alexandra Kronvold gave birth, her daughter was taken from her following a now-banned assessment that disproportionately targets Inuit women in Denmark. Will she win the fight to get Zammi back?

CNN

Remember Anna Wintour’s Shocking First Vogue Cover?

By today’s standards, the front cover of American Vogue’s November 1988 edition seems typical enough.

NPR

Barbecue Is Everywhere for the Fourth of July. Here’s Its Origin Story.

Barbecue is as American as apple pie — but the origins of the word "barbecue" is in the Caribbean.

USA TODAY

What Charges Was Diddy Found Guilty of? The Jury’s Verdict, Possible Prison Time Explained

Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial has come to an end with a mixed verdict, after a jury acquitted the music mogul on the top charges, and found him guilty of a lesser transportation to engage in prostitution counts.

Sunday Long Read

How to Think About Your Sun Exposure This Summer

Journalist Rowan Jacobsen talks about his in-depth reporting on sunlight and sun exposure — and its many benefits you may not know about.

The 74

Schools, Groups Serving Undocumented Kids Take Their Activities Underground

Fearing Trump’s immigration dragnet, educators and advocates are policing their speech, scrubbing their websites and encrypting their conversations.

BioGraphic

The Wild Within the Walls

From antiquity to modern times, Rome has been entangled with the wild animals who creep, slither, scurry, and nest among its pillars and palaces.

POLITICO

Idaho Murder Case Highlights Limits of Victims’ Input in Plea Bargains

Family members want the death penalty to remain on the table for Bryan Kohberger.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Business Insider

Cloudflare to Block AI Bot Crawlers by Default and Let Websites Demand Payment for Access

Cloudflare reshapes the AI landscape by blocking Big Tech AI bot crawlers by default, allowing websites to demand payment for content access.

Parents

These Are the States With the ‘Happiest’ Families in America, According to a New Study

Posh Peanut analyzed family and childcare statistics across the U.S. to identify the states where families display the most stability.

Inverse

The Story Behind Thunderbolts’ Shocking End Credits Sequence

The big reveal that the Thunderbolts were actually the New Avengers was almost something else entirely.

ESPN

NFL ‘Bag’ Hall of Fame: Players Who Maximized Contract Leverage

Which NFL players have negotiated the most profitable contracts over their careers? Bill Barnwell gives his picks.

Big Think

5 Stories That Teach You Philosophy (Better Than Some Philosophy Books)

Want to study philosophy but skip some of its heavier tomes? These five novels are a great place to start. (Existential despair guaranteed.)

Martha Stewart

16 Things to Always Have in Your Home Emergency Kit, According to Experts

Be prepared for anything by stocking a home emergency kit with these expert-recommended items. From batteries to can openers and more, these are the things you don’t want to be without.

BBC

‘They Took Shrapnel From My Heart’ – The Magnets Saving Lives in Ukraine

A magnetic extractor is changing the face of front-line medicine in Ukraine.

Popular Mechanics

A Colossal Telescope in the Desert Just Captured Galaxies We’ve Never Seen Before

More than a decade in the making, the Vera Rubin Observatory finally released its first image as its begins its groundbreaking 10-year astronomy mission.

Outside

Skip Everest Base Camp for These 9 Epic (and Less-Crowded) Treks in Nepal

From sacred lakes to former kingdoms, these trails deliver all the Himalayan drama without the Everest circus.

Fast Company

Minimum Wage Hikes Take Effect for 880,000 Workers Across the U.S.

New pay floors took effect July 1 in states like Alaska and Oregon and cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Esquire

Where Does the Bear Go From Here?

Carmy has reached a crossroads. So has ‘The Bear’ we’ve come to know and love.

Time

Becoming a Mom Made It Impossible for Me to Lead an Emergency Room

“I was expected to heal others, but my job made it impossible to adequately care for myself and my baby.”

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

The Conversation

Self Determination Theory: How to Use It to Boost Wellbeing

A foundational idea in self-determination theory is that we have three basic psychological needs: for autonomy, competence and relatedness.

The New York Times

Illness Took My Mother’s Independence, but It Gave Us Something Precious

An immune condition changed my mom’s life — and taught us to see art differently.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Atlantic

How to Make Your Work Your Calling

Three ways to find purpose and meaning in a job.

Time

Are You Just Tired or Truly Burned Out?

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

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.

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.