Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Greater Good Magazine

How to Stay Empathic Without Suffering So Much

Four steps to a healthier, more helpful, and more sustainable form of empathy.

Fast Company

Want a Promotion? These 4 Habits Are More Powerful Than Talent

Talent can only take you so far. The reason some people are high performers is because they’ve formed good habits.

The Washington Post

One Year, 41 Million Digits: How He Found the Largest Known Prime Number

Former Nvidia programmer Luke Durant used an unusual computer setup to discover a mind-bogglingly big Mersenne prime.

Esquire

How to Be a Better Man Right Now

Here, our best guidance on how to look better, feel better, date better, and optimize your life.

Quanta Magazine

Famous Experiment Dooms Alternative to Quantum Weirdness

Oil droplets guided by “pilot waves” have failed to reproduce the results of the quantum double-slit experiment, crushing a century-old dream that there exists a single, concrete reality.

Smithsonian Magazine

This Wooden Sculpture Is Twice as Old as Stonehenge and the Pyramids

New findings about the 12,500-year-old Shigir Idol have major implications for the study of prehistory.

Architectural Digest

The World’s 13 Most Beautiful Villages You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

From an English hamlet seemingly plucked from a fairy tale to a color-packed town in Colombia, these under-the-radar spots allow you to enjoy the quaint atmosphere without the crowds.

Bon Appétit

Extra-Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting

Come for the fluff, stay for the brown butter–cinnamon sugar filling.

Epicurious

Learn Baker’s Percentages and Make Bread Like a Pro

Once you become accustomed to the format, you’ll start to understand how a loaf of bread comes together.

Atlas Obscura

How the 18th-Century Gay Bar Survived and Thrived in a Deadly Environment

Welcome to the molly house.

GQ

Cardiologists On What You Need to Know About Intermittent Fasting and Heart Health

Experts want you to take scary headlines with a grain of salt.

The Conversation

Victorian Novels Highlight the Fragility of Public Health Today

Between 40% and 50% of children didn’t live past 5 in the US during the 19th century. Authors like Charles Dickens documented the gutting grief of losing a child.

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

Saturday, July 26

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 New Yorker

Mary Had Schizophrenia—Then Suddenly She Didn’t

Some psychiatric patients may actually have treatable autoimmune conditions. But what happens to the newly sane?

Vox

Why Your Energy Bill Is Suddenly So Much More Expensive

And why it’s not getting cheaper any time soon.

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?

SELF

3 Simple Steps to Keep Your Bananas From Rotting Way Too Soon

Expert-approved strategies for extending the life of this potassium-packed—but short-lived—fruit.

The Associated Press

Photos Show a Filipino Couple Walking Down a Flooded Aisle on Their Wedding Day

Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar were determined to walk down the aisle on their wedding day.

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.

NPR

The Best Games of 2025 So Far, Picked by NPR’s Staff

From indies like ’Blue Prince’ to big console exclusives like ’Donkey Kong Bananza’, NPR staff and contributors round up their favorite games of the year so far.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Architectural Digest

Tour a Midcentury Hollywood Hills Home Fit for a Bond Villain

Nwankpa Designs helped TV writer Cameron Johnson bring his sleek and specific vision to life

Condé Nast Traveler

A New TSA Service Simplifies Airport Connections From Europe to the US

The new policy will cut international layover times in half by eliminating re-screening during connecting flights on select routes.

Polygon

Fantastic Four: First Steps Still Manages to Have a Stan Lee Cameo

Marvel legend Jack Kirby gets his due too

Martha Stewart

9 Potted Plants That Thrive on a Shaded Porch, According to Gardening Experts

You don’t need full sun to grow beautiful plants. These varieties can thrive even when grown in containers on a shady porch.

Vox

A “Mosh Pit of Molecules” Is Trapping Heat Over Much of the US Right Now

The science behind the brutal heat dome, explained.

Vogue

Artificial Intelligence Is Changing the Way We Navigate Romantic Relationships

What happens to love, intimacy, and emotional growth when our most vulnerable moments are processed with machines?

The Conversation

A Company Says It Could Turn Mercury Into Gold Using Nuclear Fusion. Can We Take This Claim Seriously?

Californian startup Marathon Fusion says it could produce several tonnes of the element per year.

Harper's Bazaar

Devon Lee Carlson Can (and Will) Shop Anywhere

“I love powerful women who aren’t afraid to dress in a hot way and still be taken seriously.”

Gizmodo

This Ultra-Repairable Bluetooth Speaker Addresses the Ugliest Part of Consumer Tech

A new modular speaker from Teufel tries to fix one of the worst things about modern gadgets.

TechCrunch

Apple Broadens App Store’s Age-Rating System

Apple has expanded its age-rating system to include 13+, 16+, and 18+ ratings, in addition to the existing ratings for younger users.

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?

Capital B

Black Women Fight for Life in Houston’s Most Toxic — and Gentrifying — Neighborhood

In Settegast, where the average person dies before retirement age, Black women battle environmental racism and a record increase in cost of living.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

NBC News

Summer Covid Cases Are Rising Across the U.S. — Is It Time for a Vaccine?

The uptick in cases, caused by a variant of the virus nicknamed “razor blade throat,” comes as many Americans have likely gone a year or longer without a Covid shot.

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.

NBC News

Did Your Doctor’s Office Charge You a ‘Facility Fee’? Here’s What to Know.

Facility fees, often associated with inpatient hospital stays, are becoming more common for outpatient doctors’ appointments.

Axios

Social Security Recipients Set to Face an $18,000 Benefit Cut in Just Seven Years

Retirees are facing the prospect of substantial Social Security cuts in just seven years, sooner than projected, due to the “big, beautiful bill,” per an analysis out Thursday from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The Cut

‘Are My Student Loans About to Become Unaffordable?’

You could do nothing—or you could sign up for a new repayment plan. Here are your options.

Harvard Business Review

Make the Most of Your Vacation When You Can’t Fully Unplug

While advice abounds on the importance of fully unplugging during your hard-earned time off — and for good reason! — what should you do if you’re in a situation where you can’t be fully offline?

NPR

What Borrowers Should Know About Student Loan Changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill

If you’re a federal student loan borrower or about to become one, your head may be spinning.

Axios

Venmo the Treasury to Help Pay Uncle Sam’s Debt? You Can, If You Really Want

Of all the things you might use Venmo for — buying drinks, splitting a check with friends, repaying a loan — there’s a good chance you’ve never had “sending the government a gift to help pay the public debt” on your list.

The Associated Press

For Some Employees, Education Benefits Such As Tuition Assistance Prove Life-Changing

As higher education costs have grown to heights many U.S. residents find unattainable or illogical, some adults are looking to their employers for help.

NPR

You Can’t Outrun a Bad Diet. Food Not Lack of Exercise Fuels Obesity, Study Finds

One explanation for the rise in obesity in industrialized countries is that people burn fewer calories than people in countries where obesity is rare. A major study finds that’s not the case.

Allure

Why Are People Fighting About At-Home Gel Nail Kits on TikTok?

A closer look at both sides of the “OPI nail drama.”

The Atlantic

The Problem With Rewards Credit Cards

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