Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Literary Hub

The Deeply Unsettling Noir of Dorothy B. Hughes

Celebrating the dark visions of literature's queen of noir.

Popular Science

Quantum Computers Can’t Teleport Things—Yet

It’s almost impossible to simulate a good wormhole without more qubits.

Scientific American

Extreme Birding Competition Is a Cutthroat Test of Skill, Strategy and Endurance

A team of birders races to find as many bird species as possible in 24 hours.

Bon Appétit

Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich

A sandwich that’s sure to be your next picnic MVP.

Quanta Magazine

Machine Learning Confronts the Elephant in the Room

A visual prank exposes an Achilles’ heel of computer vision systems: Unlike humans, they can’t do a double take.

WIRED

Life as a 21st-Century Trucker

Technology, corporate greed, and supply-chain chaos are transforming life behind the wheel of a big rig.

The Conversation

There Are 2 Main Ways to Stretch: How to Choose the Way Right for You

There are many different types of stretching, but the two most common are static and dynamic stretching.

MIT Press Reader

Alphonse Bertillon and the Troubling Pursuit of Human Metrics

To measure was to apprehend and be made accountable, and nowhere was this more resonant than in the identification and classification of criminals.

Fatherly

How To Give Constructive Criticism That’s Actually Constructive

Go easy on the compliment sandwich, and other tips to help you become a go-to advice giver.

BBC Future

Why Some People Can Deal With The Cold

A gene mutation that allowed our ancestors to venture north might also give some of us a competitive sporting advantage.

Mental Floss

28 Fascinating Facts About Time

Every person on Earth is living in the past, and more facts about time that are likely to hurt your brain.

Glamour

This Easy Trick Will Give You Heavenly, Fluffy Pancakes in Minutes

You can making perfect brunch pancakes with this recipe, even if your cooking skills usually rely on a microwave.

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

Monday, July 28

Vanity Fair

How Goop Culture Helped Create MAHA

The California-based gynecologist and Gwyneth biography source, Dr. Jen Gunter, on everything from how she views Gwyneth Paltrow’s legacy to the most difficult aspects of fighting pseudoscience claims.

The Guardian

How Video Games Are Keeping Romance Alive – One Level at a Time

Some are using Final Fantasy and GTA Online as dating sites and long-time lovers are finding comfort and connection through Resident Evil. Could video games be the ultimate relationship tool?

The Guardian

The Rise and Fall of the British Cult That Hid in Plain Sight

Philippa Barnes was a child when her family joined the Jesus Fellowship. As an adult, she helped expose the shocking scale of abuse it had perpetrated.

NBC News

The Deadliest Extreme Weather Event Is Not What You Think It Is

Nationally, extreme heat causes more deaths each year than any other weather event, including floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.

The Guardian

Why Are Thailand and Cambodia Engaged in a Border Conflict?

Territory mapped during France’s colonial rule is behind clash that has exposed tensions between the countries.

Business Insider

Return Fraud Is Running Rampant

Whether it’s sending back broken items or claiming a package never arrived, Americans are committing return fraud at Amazon and other retailers.

Esquire

What I Didn’t Understand About My Autistic Son, and What I’m Learning Now That He’s an Adult

I have opened my heart and my mind to Sam, and he’s brought both of us to the place we so desperately need to be.

Slate

The Rise of the One-Day Overseas Vacation

In the age of remote work, Instagram reels, and shrinking PTO, the one-day international trip is becoming both absurd and strangely relatable.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

NBC News

South Carolina Democrats Will Fight to Keep ‘First in the Nation’ Primary Status in 2028

The Democratic Party shook up its presidential primary schedule in 2024, but it’s unclear if it’ll keep the same order next time.

Inc. Magazine

Target Just Ended a Popular Perk After 12 Years. Here’s What Customers Are Saying

Is Target being innovative or just following an industry trend?

Axios

Trump Team Rethinks Gaza Strategy After Six Months of Failure

“We need to do some serious rethinking,” a visibly frustrated Marco Rubio told a group of hostage families on Friday.

Time

How to Tell a Friend You Don’t Like Their Partner

When your friend is in love—and you’re writhing in horror at the object of their affection—the first question to ask yourself isn’t how to raise the subject. It’s whether you should.

Fast Company

5 Job Search Habits Young Job Seekers Should Ditch Immediately

With the right approach, you can transform your job search from a source of frustration into a launchpad for the career you want.

The Atlantic

Science Is Winning the Tour De France

Why today’s competitors far surpass the cheating champions of yesteryear.

Condé Nast Traveler

How Europeans Feel About American Tourists Right Now

Plus, the European countries where US politics have impacted local opinions of American visitors—according to a new survey.

Axios

AI’s Global Race in the Dark

The competition spurs innovation but has no clear prize or finish line.

Popular Mechanics

Scientists Are Warning of a Brand-New Kind of Acid Rain

Getting rid of the “forever chemical” Trifluoroacetic acid, or TFA, found in everything from drinking water to human blood, may be an impossible task.

Nature

Controversial ‘Arsenic Life’ Paper Retracted After 15 Years — but Authors Fight Back

The journal Science retracts a headline-grabbing study, but the authors vigorously defend their data and say the retraction is unwarranted.

People

‘Ultimate,’ ‘A Little Bit Alexis’ and 13 Other Fake Songs We Still Can’t Get Out of Our Heads

From “A Little Bit Alexis” to “Smelly Cat” these songs have surpassed only existing within the worlds of their shows and gone on to become cultural phenomenons all on their own. In honor of ‘Freakier Friday’ and its fictional band’s anthem ‘Ultimate’, loo

NPR

Dear Life Kit: My Friend Says Ugly Things About Her Body and It Makes Me Anxious

Body-acceptance advocate Katie Sturino and Ronald Young Jr., host of the podcast Weight for It, answer listener questions about body image, weight loss drugs and bullying.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Parents

A Parent Let Their Son Choose What to Do With Money They Found–Here’s What He Decided

Doing real-time experiments like this in the wild can teach us a lot about our kids and ourselves as parents.

Harvard Business Review

The Right Way to Prepare for a High-Stakes Conversation

Before commercial pilots push back from the gate, they complete a comprehensive preflight check to verify that every system functions correctly during the journey ahead.

The Atlantic

The Problem With Rewards Credit Cards

Their fees are getting higher—and their benefits are sometimes wildly complicated to redeem.

Kiplinger

Are You an Auto Theft Target? Discover the Clues

Thieves seized over 850,000 cars last year. See which models, states and behaviors draw the eyes of opportunists.

NPR

Home Sales Are Down. So Why Are Prices at an All-Time High?

Those with equity in a home can trade up more easily, while many first-time homebuyers are still stuck on the sidelines.

Fast Company

How to Go From Quiet to Commanding

An executive coach offers introverts five tips for sounding more confident. You’re smart, capable, and consistently deliver results. But in meetings, your voice disappears.

The Week

How Will the New Tax Deductions on Auto Loans Work?

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced a tax deduction on auto loan interest — but eligibility for the tax break is limited.

NPR

Doctors Urge FDA to Remove Black Box Warning on Hormone Therapy for Menopause

The FDA may remove the warning labels on hormone replacement therapies used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Doctors say the warning is scaring people who could benefit from these treatments.

USA TODAY

Estate Sales Are Booming. Thank Gen Z

Environmentally-conscious young people are heading to estate sales for low cost, well-made products.

USA TODAY

Young People Always Worry About Social Security. Older People Are Joining Them.

Americans are worrying more about Social Security, and the Trump administration may be partly to blame.  In an AARP survey released July 22, only 36% of Americans voiced confidence in the future of the retirement trust fund, down from 43% in 2020.

The Guardian

‘Old People Are Capable of More’: Meet the Female Weightlifters in Their 70s and 80s

Forget the stereotype of the frail old woman who needs help carrying groceries – fitness mavens like Joan MacDonald show you can strength train at any age.

Time

What to Say to Someone With Cancer 

Some well-meaning phrases don’t always go over well.