Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Inverse

This Simple Psychology Treatment Could Fix Tinnitus In Some People

Our brains have the ability to adjust the attention they give to sounds the moment that information reaches the brainstem.

Afar

The Packing Hack That Will Solve All Your Suitcase Woes

There’s even a formula you can use to combat overpacking.

MEL Magazine

The ‘Very Special Episodes’ on TV That Actually Changed People’s Lives

Back when it was edgy for sitcoms to take on serious topics, they really impacted some kids’ understanding of real-life issues.

The Kitchn

How to Make Kung Pao Chicken That Tastes Better Than Takeout

Time to fire up the wok.

BBC Worklife

Why Do We Buy Into the ‘Cult’ of Overwork?

Overwork culture is thriving; we think of long hours and constant exhaustion as a marker of success. Given what we know about burnout, why do we do give in?

Elle

Stop Telling Me to Make Mom Friends

Befriending other mothers is deployed as cure-all advice. But it’s never been that simple.

The Guardian

How Did Childcare in the US Become so Absurdly Expensive?

Families are taking out lines of credit, working second jobs, commuting for hours and forgoing careers. It doesn’t need to be this way, experts say.

BBC Future

Why Short-Sightedness Is on the Rise

Soaring rates of short-sightedness in children are alarming parents and doctors around the world. Can we turn the tide?

Homes & Gardens

How To Make Coffee Smoothies

Whether you’re looking for a morning pick-me-up or a pre-gym boost, this is your definitive guide to mastering the coffee smoothie trend.

The Conversation

What Parents Need to Know to Talk to Their Children About the Manosphere

What parents need to know about misogynistic communities online.

The Washington Post

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Miso Butter Pasta Is All About Comfort

The chef and restaurateur’s cookbook features dishes that nurture and offer convenience, nostalgia and indulgence.

Apartment Therapy

2 Cast Iron Skillet Tips for Beginners

I wish I knew these simple yet game-changing tips before I bought my cast iron skillet.

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

Friday, August 15

BBC

A Dating App, a Niqab and a 9mm Gun: How a US Woman Was Hired to End a UK Family Feud

The investigation into the Wisconsin native revealed her to be “fairly unexceptional” with virtually no “criminal footprint”. And it remains unclear why she became a would-be contract killer.

The New Yorker

Why Hasn’t Medical Science Cured Chronic Headaches?

More than 1.2 billion people worldwide suffer from migraine and other debilitating conditions that are under-studied and often not taken seriously.

BBC

Why ‘Best Time to Visit’ No Longer Applies

Climate change is rewriting the rulebook for trip planning – and travellers need to adapt.

The Conversation

Can Air Conditioning Really Make You Sick? A Microbiologist Explains.

If an air conditioning system malfunctions or isn’t properly maintained, it can become contaminated with infectious microbes.

NPR

Why the Origin of the Word ‘Dog’ Remains a Mystery

They’re known as man’s best friends, fur babies, pooches. But the most widely used word for these beloved animals — “dog” — is also a great linguistic mystery.

ESPN

The Predatory Web of Sextortion Increasingly Ensnares Young Athletes

A Michigan teen was goaded into sharing an intimate photo that scammers threatened to expose unless he paid up.

The Guardian

Why Do I Feel So Much Worse After a Nap – and How Can I Avoid It?

Waking up from a nap feeling groggy, tired or ill? Experts say it’s common. Here’s what could be going wrong.

NPR

Recommendation: New Books Published This Week

A portrait of the lucrative drug-treatment industry; a memoir of a female firefighter; debut fiction from an Emmy-winning TV writer; and a brand new Karin Slaughter thriller.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

NBC News

Malnourished Kids Arrive Daily at a Gaza Hospital As Netanyahu Denies Hunger

A U.N. spokesman warned this week that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began.

HuffPost

We’re Recruiters. This Is the Biggest Tell You Used ChatGPT on Your Job App.

“A good recruiter can spot an AI-written application from a mile away.”

SELF

How Bad Is It That I Already Have Back Pain in My 30s?

There’s no need to spiral at that first twinge or flare-up—promise.

Inc. Magazine

Love Coffee? Science Says You Can Drink Coffee Whatever Time in the Morning You Want

Research shows coffee timing comes down to personal preference, not hard and fast rules.

Mental Floss

The Meditative Art of Hikaru Dorodango: How Japanese Schoolchildren Turn Mud Into Shiny Spheres

A science fiction writer called it an “artifact of such utter simplicity and perfection that it seems it must be either the first object or the last.”

USA TODAY

This Homesick Football Player Cried on Air. It Sparked a Conversation About Masculinity.

When asked about being away from home during the Aug. 12 press conference, 19-year-old Archie Wilson shared a candid response about how being far from his family has impacted him.

Smithsonian Magazine

What Is a Black Moon? The Unusual Sky Phenomenon Will Occur Later This Month, but Don’t Expect to See It

A seasonal black moon, to appear on August 22 or 23, is the third of four new moons within an astronomical season

Pew Research Center

Key Facts About the U.S. National Debt

Private investors are the biggest holders of national debt – $24.4 trillion as of March 2025 – followed by federal trust funds and retirement programs.

Vanity Fair

24 TV Shows We Can’t Wait to See This Fall

Including old favorites and intriguing newcomers featuring the likes of Claire Danes, Jude Law, and Glen Powell.

The 19th

From Tissues to Tariffs: The School Supply Debate Just Got Political

“The issue here is not teachers versus parents. The real problem is the slashing of education budgets and the rising costs.”

Rolling Stone

15 Moments That Defined the Last 30 Years of the Grateful Dead

Reunions, historic tours, Kennedy Center honors, the Sphere, and more.

Literary Hub

A Tour of the Private: Traversing the Physical and Memory Landscape of North America

Traveling on a Greyhound bus, you can disappear. The day hadn’t yet begun as we pulled out of Detroit. We were heading to St. Louis through lashing rain under a black sky. The only sounds were the regular swish of windshield wipers and the rhythmic sucking of rubber tires on wet tarmac.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

The Guardian

Ozempic Didn’t Work for Me. I Was Furious – and Ashamed

Everyone taking the ‘skinny shot’ was losing weight, but my scales didn’t change. My inner dialogue became toxic.

CBS News

AT&T Customers Could Get up to $7,500 in a $177 Million Settlement. Here’s How to File a Claim.

AT&T customers whose data was compromised in either of two data breaches, or both, are eligible to file a claim that could provide up to $7,500.

Yahoo Finance

4 Ways to Increase Cash Flow and Pay Off Debt Faster

Improving cash flow is key to aggressively paying down debt.

The Marginalian

Wonder, Play, and How to Be More Alive

We build our lives around structures of certainty — houses to live in, marriages to love in, ideologies to think in — and yet some primal part of us knows that none abides, knows that we pay for these comforting illusions with our very aliveness.

NPR

Counting Steps for Health? Here’s How Many You Really Need

Counting steps is easy using a phone, a wearable or fitness tracker. And scientists have lots of data to figure out how many daily steps you need to improve health. Here’s what they’ve found.

The Hustle

How Private Equity May Affect Your 401(k)

A new executive order allows employer retirement funds to be invested in private equity. Here’s what that could mean for your investments.

The Atlantic

The Logic of the ‘9 to 5’ Is Creeping Into the Rest of the Day

How free time gets conscripted into the service of work.

The Cut

Are You Rude With Money?

Our readers share annoying financial scenarios to avoid when splitting the bill.

USA TODAY

‘The Tooth Fairy Sticks to a Budget:’ Kids Are Finding Less Under Their Pillows for Lost Teeth

Times are tough, even for kids.

KFF Health News

AUDIO: A Wild Health Insurance Hustle

A couple in New York thought they bought insurance. Instead, they got fake “jobs.”

CNN

Mortgage Rates Fall to Lowest Level in 10 Months

Would-be home buyers and homeowners looking to refinance their mortgages got a rare break this week after months of stubbornly high borrowing costs.

The Walrus

How to Trick Your Brain into Making Life Feel Longer and Richer

Forget anti-aging creams. The secret is living like you’re not in a hurry.