Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

The Atlantic

How a Stroke Turned a 63-Year-Old Into a Rap Legend

The story of Dr. Rapp.

The Hustle

The Worst Sales Promotion in History

In 1992, an electronics company offered free international flights with a £100 purchase. Today, it’s cited as the worst promotion in history.

Popular Science

To Set the Record Straight: Nothing Can Break the Speed of Light

Objects may not be as fast as they appear with this universal illusion.

Inc.

How to Become the Best in the World at What You Do

With the right approach, and a little hard work, you can do what you love and earn a living at the same time.

The Guardian

The Heart Rate Secret: What It Reveals About Our Health—From Sleep and Alcohol to Fight or Flight

There are more and more ways to monitor our heart rates, but what do the numbers really mean? Here is everything you need to know.

Quanta Magazine

The End of Theoretical Physics as We Know It

Computer simulations and custom-built quantum analogues are changing what it means to search for the laws of nature.

WIRED

How to Actually Find Good Recipes Online

So many food blogs and recipe sites are full of pretty pictures but untested recipes. Don’t worry, it’s possible to find something you’ll love to cook and eat.

BBC Future

Why Our Pursuit of Happiness May Be Flawed

It is an emotion linked to improved health and well-being, but is our obsession with being happy a recipe for disappointment, asks Nat Rutherford.

Outside

How to Keep Your Cool, No Matter What

There’s not much that will make you panic after ten years of dogsledding in the wilderness. And there are lots of ways to feel equally calm in all kinds of outdoor emergencies.

The Conversation

A Hot Bath Has Benefits Similar to Exercise

A hot bath burns calories, helps control blood sugar and keeps your blood vessels healthy. What’s not to like?

Glamour

15 Genius Tips That’ll Give You Clearer Skin for Free

Get glowing skin without spending a single cent.

CityLab

Discovering That Strangers Aren’t All That Strange

Taking a class with a diverse group of Londoners helped me see the city and my neighbors in an altogether different light.

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

Wednesday, July 30

NPR

Here Are the 13 Books That Made the Booker Prize Longlist

An epic fable about two young Indian writers. A dark comedy about a loner who gets a job as a chauffeur for the mega-rich.

Vogue

Are Drugstore Shampoos As Good As Their Expensive Counterparts?

Everything you need to know about choosing an affordable shampoo without sacrificing hair health.

Mother Jones

The Surgery That Reveals Everything That’s Wrong With Women’s Health Care

From "wandering wombs" to modern biases, the troubling politics of hysterectomies

Vox

The Real Reason We Tip

…and why it needs to change.

Outside

After the Biggest Doping Bust in Years, What’s Next?

Now that the fastest marathoner in history, Ruth Chepngetich, has been caught, is it time to give up and let athletes dope?

The Hollywood Reporter

Is Gen X Dying Before Our Eyes?

The tragic passing of ‘Cosby Show’ star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 80's wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and heavy-metal icon Ozzy Osbourne bring on a generation’s old familiar feeling: doom.

The New Yorker

Mexico’s Molar City Could Transform My Smile. Did I Want It to?

More than a thousand dentists have set up shop in Los Algodones. Their patients are mostly Americans who can’t afford the U.S.’s dental care.

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.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Outside

Established Campgrounds Are Chaos—and I Love Them

We all love a good off-the-grid campsite, but staying the night at an established campground might be more worth it than you think.

Grist

Climate Change Has Sent Coffee Prices Soaring. Trump’s Tariffs Will Send Them Higher.

From drought-stricken farms to rising trade barriers, the global coffee industry is facing unprecedented strain.

Bustle

What Is “Bankysing” in Dating? the TikTok Trend, Explained

TikTok is currently buzzing about Banksying, possibly the cruelest type of breakup.

Fast Company

AI Embarrassed Them at Work. Don’t Let This Happen to You

Employees are pressured to use AI at work, but the rules for using it are still being written, creating an environment ripe for mistakes.

CNBC

While the Fed Kept Its Benchmark Unchanged, Here’s What Happened to Consumer Borrowing Rates

When it meets this week, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep its key short-term interest rate at its current target range — where it has stayed for all of 2025.

Maclean’s

Confessions of the Working Poor

I work hard, buy quality clothes and know how to fake my way through dinner-party conversations. But behind the scenes, I’m part of a fast-growing Canadian underclass.

Polygon

Donkey Kong Bananza’s Identity Crisis Doesn’t Get in the Way of a Good Time

Despite not knowing what kind of game it wants to be, DK’s Switch 2 adventure is a blast.

Rolling Stone

Adam Sandler’s Movies, Ranked Worst to Best

From Happy Gilmore to Uncut Gems, the greatest (and most grating) films of the star we call the Sandman.

The Conversation

What to Do When Wasps Crash Your Picnic – a Scientist’s Guide to Dining Safely With These Insects

Did you know wasps switch from ham to jam foraging during the late summer?

GQ

What Does ‘Made in USA’ Mean, Anyway?

The rules governing American-made clothing are knotty. Here’s what it takes to earn the vaunted label.

The Conversation

The Hunt for ‘Planet Nine’: Why There Could Still Be Something Massive at the Edge of the Solar System

The debate about an undiscovered planet X or planet 9 has been going on for more than 100 years.

NPR

Are Prices Going up Because of Tariffs? Here’s What We Know

Prices have risen a tad on some items especially affected by tariffs. But for the most part, companies are finding ways to delay price increases — for now.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

The New York Times

Study May Undercut Idea That Cash Payments to Poor Families Help Child Development

Rigorous new research appears to show that monthly checks intended to help disadvantaged children did little for their well-being, adding a new element to a dispute over expanded government aid.

CNBC

Animal Shelters Are Crowded as High Costs Squeeze Pet Owners

Millions of animals are stuck in increasingly cramped shelters because their owners are struggling to pay rising vet bills and other expenses.

NPR

In a First, the Senate Confirms a New CDC Director

Susan Monarez is the first director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to require Senate confirmation. She’s also the first director without a medical degree in more than 70 years.

Vox

How to Make the Hardest Choices of Your Life

From picking a career to picking a spouse, one radical philosophical idea will guide you.

USA TODAY

Trump’s Trade Deal With the EU: What It Means for Your Wallet

The new tariff could increase prices on goods such as cars, furniture and pharmaceuticals. Trump's tariffs are expected to raise prices by 1.8% in the short term, per the Yale Budget Lab.

NPR

The Manhattan Gunman Believed He Had CTE. What Does That Mean?

The gunman accused of killing four people in New York City suspected he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a degenerative brain disease often associated with football players.

CNBC

Even Many High-Earning Americans Don’t Feel Wealthy. Here’s Why

Many high earners in the U.S. still feel broke. Between lifestyle creep, debt and social pressure, even $200,000 per year doesn’t always buy peace of mind.

The Guardian

‘It Would Destroy Me’: Fear of Student Loan Default Haunts US Borrowers

The Trump administration has ended the pandemic-era pause on repayments, leaving many facing colossal debts.

The Cut

What If a Child Was Terrified of Food?

The rise of ARFID, a new eating disorder driven not by body image but by fear.

The Associated Press

If You Don’t Have Diabetes, Do You Really Need a Continuous Glucose Monitor?

A quarter-size device that tracks the rise and fall of sugar in your blood is the latest source of hope — and hype — in the growing buzz around wearable health technology.

The Guardian

Trust Your Gut and Fail Bravely: Seven Influential Women on the Advice They Would Give Their 30-Year-Old Selves

It’s tempting to imagine what we might have done differently. But, as Diana Nyad says: ‘We earn our wisdom.’

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.