Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

MEL Magazine

Are You Really Super Busy, Or Are You Just Super Disorganized?

If that headline feels like a personal attack, you should probably read this.

CityLab

The Good, Bad, and Ugly Public Transit Seat Covers of the World

An international roundup of bus, train, and subway seat designs, based on CityLab’s rules for a commuter-friendly textile.

Greater Good Magazine

Instead of Pulling Out Your Phone, Let Your Mind Wander

When we’re waiting, we often have the urge to distract ourselves—but a new study finds we’d enjoy doing nothing but think.

Literary Hub

Kurt Vonnegut’s Greatest Writing Advice

No-nonsense advice with a little bit of nonsense.

Men’s Health

Here’s What Walking 20,000 Steps a Day Did to This Guy’s Body

Craig Benzine shared how doing four hours of walking every single day affected his health and overall lifestyle.

Aeon

How Europe Became So Rich

In a time of great powers and empires, just one region of the world experienced extraordinary economic growth. How?

Nautilus

The Romantic Venus We Never Knew

Venus used to be as fit for life as Earth.

The Kitchn

How To Roast Any Vegetable

They taste great and there’s no recipe required.

Scientific American

What a Body Built to Last 100 Years Would Look Like

We would look a lot different if evolution had designed the human body to work well for a century or more.

Harvard Business Review

Relax, Turn Off Your Phone, and Go to Sleep

In the current fast-paced and technology driven world, a good night’s sleep is more important than ever.

Atlas Obscura

Everything You Need to Know About the True Origins of the Everything Bagel

There’s a lot of history in every bite.

The Marginalian

The Ocean and the Meaning of Life

“Contemplating the teeming life of the shore, we have an uneasy sense of the communication of some universal truth that lies just beyond our grasp...”

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

The Walrus

Can Office Tools Help Couples Optimize for Domestic Bliss?

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

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.

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.

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?

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?

Boston

Blood Feuds: The Fight Over Who Gets to Be Native American

A Rhode Island tribe’s quest for state recognition has sparked a controversy.

New Lines Magazine

Waiting for Justice in South Africa

Families of those killed and tortured for political reasons under apartheid are searching for the truth about why the perpetrators have gone unpunished.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

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 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.

Kiplinger

The Surprising Truth About Loneliness and Longevity

We’ve all heard about the epidemic of loneliness that can shorten lives and make retirement miserable. But there’s more to the story.

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 Hollywood Reporter

How ‘The Gilded Age’ Newcomer Jordan Donica Charmed His Way Into the Role of Winning Peggy’s Heart

And not even Phylicia Rashad can stop him.

Popular Mechanics

Scientists Just Witnessed the Birth of a Solar System for the First Time

This is amazing.

Texas Monthly

First Hit by a Tornado, Then by the Flood: “I Feel Like Our Family Is Cursed”

For a Central Texas family, two natural disasters nearly three decades apart have destroyed homes, taken loved ones, and turned life into a bad dream.

Rolling Stone

The Heavy Metal Festival Aiming to Curb Teen Suicide

How Fire in the Mountains, a heavy metal festival, aims to curb teen suicide among Native American populations.

HuffPost

The 2026 Senate Map Is Tough for Democrats, But Republicans Have Their Own Headaches

Republicans are encountering some early headaches in Senate races viewed as pivotal to maintaining the party’s majority next year.

Real Simple

Your Most Organized Life Starts Here

It’s time to declutter your closet, organize your kitchen like a pro chef, and get your stuff together. Here’s how to get organized—and actually stay that way.

PS

The Summer’s Hottest Parenting Hack? Boredom

Parents are skipping back-to-back summer activities in favor of letting their kids get bored while school’s out, and experts are here for it.

Knowable Magazine

Super-Resolution Microscopes Showcase the Inner Lives of Cells

Advanced light microscopy techniques have come into their own — and are giving scientists a new understanding of human biology and what goes wrong in disease.

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?

Time

10 Questions to Help You Plan for the End of Life

Talking about death is often life-affirming.

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.

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

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.

The Walrus

Before You Share That Health Tip, Read This

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.