Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Nautilus

How Jocks and Mathletes Are Alike

Seven sports that come down to how well your neurons play.

Aeon

To Be Happier, Focus on What’s Within Your Control

If you truly understand the difference between what is and what is not under your control, and act accordingly, you will become psychologically invincible, impervious to the ups and downs of fortune.

Quanta Magazine

The Math Behind Gerrymandering and Wasted Votes

Simple math can help scheming politicians manipulate district maps and cruise to victory. But it can also help identify and fix the problem.

Mental Floss

The Reason Your Pillows Turn Yellow, and How to Clean Them

Yellow stains on pillows are gross, but they’re more common than you may think (and easier to clean).

The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)

When Your Parents Are Dying: The Simplest, Most Difficult and Redemptive Life-Advice You’ll Ever Receive

“Death makes human beings seem like very small containers that are packed so densely we can only be aware of a fraction of what’s inside us from moment to moment.”

Outdoor Life

7 Sneaky Ways Landowners Block Access to Public Lands

And what to do when you run into it.

Fast Company

How to Stop Sabotaging Yourself at Work

If you’ve ever been on the cusp of achieving something big, then done something dumb to screw it up, you might be engaging in workplace self-sabotage.

Greater Good Magazine

How to Overcome a Stubborn Regret

Regret can increase stress and negatively affect your physical health.

CityLab

A History of the American Public Library

A visual exploration of how a critical piece of social infrastructure came to be.

Popular Science

Snake Hunt

Stalking pythons in Florida with a team of cold-blooded killers.

The Kitchn

5 Slow Cooker Chicken Dinners with 5 Ingredients

Easy weeknight cooking at its finest.

The Conversation

What Are Muscle Knots? An Exercise Physiologist Explains

Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly what happens within muscle to create knots, also known as myofascial trigger points. But they do know some ways you can avoid or alleviate them.

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, July 6

Bon Appétit

An Inside Look at the Best Snack Trends at the Summer Fancy Food Show

At the Comic Con of snacks, we track down the latest in sweet treats, sauces, and drinks.

CNN

A Couple Tried for 18 Years to Get Pregnant. AI Made It Happen.

As artificial intelligence shapes fertility care, it’s now helping doctors find hidden sperm.

Boston

Did We Ruin Summer Camp by Making It Safe?

The kids are all right—but are they missing out?

The Atlantic

The Feminine Pursuit of Swoleness

A new book considers how weight lifting can help you unlearn diet culture.

CNN

Here’s Who Stands to Gain From the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill.’ And Who May Struggle

President Donald Trump has promised that the “big, beautiful bill” passed by Congress will be one of the most successful pieces of legislation in American history.

Reuters

They Tried Made in the USA. It Was Too Expensive for Their Customers.

Tens of thousands of American small and midsize manufacturers are facing the choice between paying steep tariffs on Chinese imports or taking on significantly higher domestic production costs.

Smithsonian Magazine

In a Milestone for Manhattan, a Pair of Coyotes Has Made Central Park Their Home

For six years, two photographers have carefully followed the canines and documented their secret lives.

New York Magazine

'People Want That African Euphoria'

Black Americans are moving to Ghana — and driving up the cost of living for everyone around them.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Far Out Magazine

Graham Nash on a Brave Bruce Springsteen, a Problematic Donald Trump, and How Nina Simone Still Inspires Him: “Things Are Pretty Chaotic”

Graham Nash has been making music for six decades and his songs have never seemed more relevant than today. We speak to him about them here.

Parents

How One Little Girl Sold Enough Lemonade to Fulfill Her Space Camp Dream

When 11-year-old Ezri Henry told her mom about her goal to attend Space Camp, they worked together to make it possible. Here’s how she sold more than 1,000 glasses of lemonade to make her dream a reality.

Gizmodo

How Gareth Edwards Made ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ His Ultimate Spielberg Love Letter

Multiple scenes in the film are inspired by the films of the original ‘Jurassic Park’ director.

Nature

Japan Requires Name Change After Marriage — With Big Effects on Female Scientists

Survey finds law requiring married couples to share the same family name causes havoc for researchers.

Vox

Everything You Need to Know About Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill”

The high political and economic stakes of Trump’s wide-ranging legislative agenda touching on everything from taxes to immigration to fossil fuels.

Martha Stewart

5 Mulching Mistakes That Can Damage Your Fruit Trees

Discover common mulching mistakes that can cause harm to young and established fruit trees with these tips from our experts.

Literary Hub

Is Summer Actually the Season for Reading Big, Thick Books?

There’s something in the air this summer: everyone seems to be reading huge books. The New Yorker did a round-up of their staff’s summer “Mega-Reads”: “sizable, sprawling novels, biographies, and works of history that will keep you absorbed and entertained until the end of the season.

CBS News

Trump Signs Executive Order Calling for Foreign Tourists to Pay Higher National Park Fees

In its 2026 fiscal year budget proposal released in May, the Interior Department estimated that such a surcharge would generate more than $90 million annually.

The Conversation

AI Might Now Be As Good As Humans at Detecting Emotion, Political Leaning and Sarcasm in Online Conversations

AI could save people time when analysing text for its meaning.

CBS News

What Does a Hot Dog Eating Contest Do to Your Stomach? Experts Detail the Health Effects of Competitive Eating.

Eating dozens of hot dogs in 10 minutes is not easy on the body. Experts explain what happens to the stomach.

Kiplinger

The $33,000 Retirement: One Man’s Surprising Path to Financial Freedom at 61

Forget what society tells you, even with less than $1 million, you can be happy in retirement.

Los Angeles Times

Should Bioplastics Be Counted As Compost? Debate Pits Farmers Against Manufacturers

Plastic manufacturers are pushing to have their products counted as compost. Composters and farmers are trying to stop them.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

DW

Paris Reopens Seine River for Public Swimming

Parisians have begun bathing in the Seine for the first time in over 100 years after a ban was lifted. The French capital has created three swimming zones along the river as part of its Olympic legacy.

Inc. Magazine

Half of Remote Employees Nap During the Workday, a Survey Says 

Employers might want to keep an eye open for any visible facial creases, suspiciously mussed hairdos, or groggy comments during video meetings with remote staff. It turns out nearly half of people working from home admit to taking naps on company time.

Men's Health

How Long It Should Take to Walk a Mile—and How That Can Help to Improve Your Fitness

Whether you're looking to move more or you want to upgrade your daily stroll, these tips will help you pick up the pace.

Lifehacker

Five Psychological Tricks You Can Use to Make Yourself Feel Happier

It’s easy to see why being happy is such a challenge these days. People are working jobs they hate, struggling to pay bills, and living in an increasingly isolated, digitally driven world.

Fast Company

Why Office Gossip Can Be Good for the Workplace (If It’s the Right Kind of Gossip)

Gossip at work is inevitable. But what exactly workers gossip about can be key in dictating company culture. Rumor has it that gossip can be a positive force in workplace cultures, under the right circumstances.

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.

Fast Company

How to Make the Most of Your Summer Vacation

Plan to connect with loved ones and plan to disconnect from work.

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.

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.

Time

Are You Just Tired or Truly Burned Out?

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