Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Slate

Against the Octopus

It’s not a crafty, soulful genius. It’s dinner.

MEL Magazine

If Happiness Weren’t the Goal, We’d Have Much Better Mental Health

‘It’s not that you’re too sad. It’s that you’re trying too hard to be happy.’

Bon Appétit

Which Prepared Pie Crust Is Best? We Tested Trader Joe’s, Marie Callender’s, Pillsbury, and More

Whether you’re making a pumpkin pie or a summer berry galette, one supermarket underdog got our approval.

Knowable Magazine

Why Isn’t Dental Health Considered Primary Medical Care?

Ailments of the mouth can put the body at risk for a slew of other ills. Some practitioners think dentistry should no longer be siloed.

Narratively

She Caught Bullets with Her Bare Hands — and Made Magic’s Glass Ceiling Disappear

When her husband died and left her penniless, audacious Adelaide Hermann transformed from lowly assistant to “the Queen of Magic.”

Delish

39 High-Protein Recipes That Are Easy, Filling, and Guaranteed to Keep Hanger at Bay

Including plant-based, omnivore, and vegan options.

Popular Science

How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Actually Need?

It depends on how well you want your brain to work.

Glamour

The Wild Stories Behind Casting Your Favorite Rom-Coms

“It was a nightmare…you name a British guy, and we saw him.”

Bustle

Here’s Why You’re Either A Birthday Person Or Birthday Hater

It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.

Apartment Therapy

The Best Way to Store Kitchen Towels

Marie Kondo’s method is the only way.

Inc.

3 Signs You’re the Toxic Person in Your Workplace (and What to Do About It)

People tend to have a natural aversion to those who make it all about themselves.

BBC Future

Should We Be Eating Three Meals a Day?

The idea that we should eat three meals a day is surprisingly modern. How many meals a day is best for our health?

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 23

NPR

Are High-Protein Snacks Worth the Hype? Here’s How to Assess

Protein has taken over the packaged-snack aisles at the grocery store. But do you need extra protein in your chips and muffins?

The Walrus

Can Office Tools Help Couples Optimize for Domestic Bliss?

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the colour-coded Google Calendar.

BBC

How a Fatal Accident Ended Ted Kennedy’s Presidential Hopes

In July 1969, Senator Edward Kennedy pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident where a young aide died. But many questions about the ‘Chappaquiddick incident’ went unanswered.

WIRED

A Head-to-Toe Breakdown of Social Media’s Billion-Dollar Remedies

Bad mood? Puffy face? Immune issues? Across TikTok and Instagram there are scores of influencers ready to sell you some products—without ever sending you to a doctor.

The New York Times

The Trouble With Wanting Men

Women are so fed up with men that the phenomenon even has a name: heterofatalism. So what do we do with our desire?

Grist

The Surprising Reasons Floods and Other Disasters Are More Deadly at Night

It’s not just that it’s dark and people are asleep. Urban sprawl, confirmation bias, and other factors can play a role in why nocturnal disasters claim more lives.

NBC News

A Cross Between a Nicotine Pouch and an Energy Drink: What to Know About Caffeine Pouches

Teen-friendly promotion of the product is spreading on social media. Adding to the concerns is a caffeine pouch startup from a former Juul marketing executive.

The Guardian

Where the Wild Things Are: How to Immerse Your Kids in the Great Outdoors This Summer

Some of the most priceless holiday memories cost next to nothing – as my four-year-old son and I have found on our forays into nature.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Martha Stewart

5 Ways to Use Apple Cores in Your Garden to Boost Plant Growth

Apple cores can provide an abundance of nutrients to your garden. Explore these methods for using apple cores and peels in your garden to help plants grow and thrive.

MIT Technology Review

AI Companies Have Stopped Warning You That Their Chatbots Aren’t Doctors

Once cautious, OpenAI, Grok, and others will now dive into giving unverified medical advice with virtually no disclaimers.

The Hollywood Reporter

When Did Superman Become So Controversial?

The Man of Steel became a political lightning rod this summer with the release of the new movie, but world’s most wholesome hero has actually been under attack since 1954, when Dr. Fredric Wertham published the anti-comics treatise ‘Seduction of the Innocent.’

Dwell

How They Pulled It Off: A House That Sits in—Yes, in—the Water

To build a new home on an old pier in Seattle, the team at E. Cobb Architects fared a spatter of challenges: “There’s nothing that’s even come close to this level of difficulty.”

Smithsonian Magazine

‘Robo-Bunnies’ Are the Newest Weapon in the Fight Against Invasive Burmese Pythons in Florida

Scientists are experimenting with robotic rabbits in hopes of luring the destructive snakes out of hiding so they can be euthanized.

Discover

Living Fossils Like the Coelacanth Have Remained Unchanged for 400 Million Years

What is a living fossil? Learn more about the living fossils among us and why this topic is highly debated among scientists.

The Ringer

Eight Takes on the NBA Offseason’s Most Interesting Moves

The Clippers get their Summer of George, the Sixers aren’t dead yet, and way more people should be talking about Wemby than about LeBron.

Condé Nast Traveler

The Glitz, Glam, and Grit of Entertainment on a Cruise Ship

The cruise industry’s ever-expanding entertainment programming requires a vast workforce—and an almost uncountable number of dance shoes.

NBC News

A Genetic Test Could Predict the Odds of Obesity, Allowing for Early Interventions

Scientists looked at the genes of millions of people to determine which ones are linked to obesity — and developed a way to screen people before age 5.

The Marginalian

Doris Lessing on How to Read a Book and How to Read the World

Born in Iran and raised in Zimbabwe, Doris Lessing was fourteen when she dropped out of school and eighty-eight when she won the Nobel Prize.

Fast Company

5 Steps to Earning More in Your Career

Forget raises. In today’s workplace, shaped by AI and economic flux, the smart earners are rewriting the rules to earn more money at work.

Cup of Jo

How to Show up for Kids Who’ve Lost a Parent

Four women who lost their parents early in life share what helped them deal with their grief.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

BBC

Mineral v. Chemical Sunscreen: Which One Should You Be Using?

Some people are trading chemical sunscreens in favour of mineral versions because of fears over toxicity, pollution and effectiveness. Is there actually any difference?

NPR

A Creek With Atomic Waste From WWII Is Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

A new study in JAMA shows how proximity to Coldwater Creek, where nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project was improperly stored, affected cancer rates over the decades.

Time

10 Questions to Help You Plan for the End of Life

Talking about death is often life-affirming.

CBS News

COVID-19 Cases Are Rising in These States Amid Summer Wave, CDC Data Shows

The data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also showed a significant increase in COVID-related emergency room visits for young children.

CNBC

What a Trump, Powell Faceoff Means for Your Money

Tensions are escalating between the White House and the Federal Reserve, with consumers caught in the middle.

CNBC

Student Loan Bills Could Double for Some Borrowers As Biden-Era Relief Expires

Many student loan borrowers could see their monthly bills more than double now that the Biden-era SAVE plan is defunct.

Stylist

Managers, Here’s How to Have an Effective 1-to-1, According to Career Experts

How to help your team members get the most from your meetings.

The Walrus

Before You Share That Health Tip, Read This

Misinformation is everywhere. And yes, some of it has probably gotten to you.

Fast Company

I’m a Two-Time Tech Founder. but Restaurants Are Where I Learned to Lead

The surprising lessons the conveyor belt sushi business taught me. Sudden equipment failures. Supply chain surprises. Retaining staff as the goalposts move in real time. These aren’t challenges I’ve faced as a tech founder—but I have faced them running restaurants.

The Week

How Can You Get the Maximum Social Security Retirement Benefit?

For many, Social Security benefits are a key part of their retirement plan. So it makes sense that you would want to get the most possible from this monthly source of income.

Yahoo

What Is ‘Revenge Saving,’ and Should You Hop on the Trend?

“Revenge saving” emphasizes making up for poor financial habits by being aggressively frugal or restrictive with your current spending.

Money.com

Why You Probably Need Flood Insurance — Even if You Don't Live Near Water

Over the Fourth of July weekend, parts of central Texas were devastated by flash floods after the region was hit with the equivalent of four months' worth of rain in just a few hours. At least 134 people were killed, and more than 100 are still missing as of press time.