Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

BBC News

The Rise and Fall of the Bombshell Bandit

For two months an unusual bank robber shocked, mystified and captivated the US. She was a woman, she was short, young and well-dressed, and she held up a string of banks in quick succession.

Atlas Obscura

The Valley of the Cheese of the Dead

In this remote Swiss town, residents spent a lifetime aging a wheel for their own funeral.

Fast Company

Do These 5 Emotionally Intelligent Things Within 5 Minutes Of Meeting Someone

Being instantly likable isn’t rocket science, but this checklist takes practice to master in the short space of a first impression.

Aeon

Falling for Sleep

Can we rekindle the joy of slumber?

MIT Press Reader

In Search of the Impossible Machine, the Artificial Heart

The history of the total artificial heart is punctuated with both brilliant innovation and continual clinical failure.

The Guardian

‘People Eat Two or Three Packets a Day’: How Instant Noodles Took Over the World

High-salt, processed noodles have become a favourite cheap meal, especially in developing countries, but nutritionists warn of the health costs.

Smithsonian Magazine

The Dirty Secret About How Our Hands Spread Disease

The human hand is an incredible tool—and a deadly threat.

Culture Study

The Diminishing Returns of Productivity Culture

Human productivity has a ceiling.

The Conversation

When We Lose Weight, Where Does It Go?

Don’t worry, 98 percent of health professionals surveyed didn’t know either.

The Atlantic

The Most Misunderstood Concept in Psychology

What are boundaries?

BBC Worklife

How Mindfulness Can Make You a Darker Person

Mindfulness is thought to have multiple benefits – but it can also make you less likely to feel guilty about wrongdoing and derail your moral compass.

Greater Good Magazine

How Parents and Children Can Learn Emotional Skills Together

You can better connect with your children and their communities by learning social-emotional skills alongside them.

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

Tuesday, July 29

The Independent

Why Are We So Bad at Apologising?

For a nation that is famously apologetic about everything, the UK apparently has a hard time saying sorry. Olivia Petter asks why we find making genuine apologies so difficult – and what that says about our ability to take accountability.

Vox

Am I Actually “Too Sensitive”?

Some people, in fact, are more prone to big feelings than others.

The New York Times

I Teach Creative Writing. This Is What A.I. Is Doing to Students.

My conversations with A.I. showcased its seductive cocktail of affirmation, perceptiveness, solicitousness and duplicity — and brought home how complicated this new era will be.

NPR

She’s Trying to Open a Birth Center Near a Maternity Desert. It’s Not Easy.

When Katie Chubb was pregnant she wanted to have her baby at a birth center, but there was no local option. Now she's trying to open one herself. She has community support, but not from the hospitals.

BBC

The ‘Other’ Michelin Award Travellers Should Know

Long overshadowed by the coveted Michelin stars, the Bib Gourmand celebrates the world's best budget-friendly restaurants.

Axios

Why GLP-1s Could Become the “Everything Drug”

The biggest buzz around GLP-1 drugs these days has nothing to do with weight loss. And that might lead to some problems for patients and insurers.

The Guardian

Who Needs Quinoa? 17 Overlooked and Affordable Superfoods, From Peas and Potatoes to Popcorn and Even Sugar

What is a superfood? According to Italian scientists writing in the journal Frontiers in Food Science and Technology in February, the term was coined in the 1960s to describe foods that could fight malnutrition.

The New Yorker

“No Tax on Tips” Is an Industry Plant

Trump’s “populist” policy is backed by the National Restaurant Association—probably because it won’t stop establishments from paying servers below the minimum wage.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

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.’

Eater

How Seedless Watermelon Took Over the Grocery Store

Seedless varieties may have perks, but there’s something alluring about old-timey, seeded watermelons too.

CNET

CNET Survey: 64% of People Still Don’t Want a Foldable Smartphone

Despite the growing hype around foldables from companies like Samsung and Motorola -- and maybe someday Apple -- most smartphone buyers have their hesitations.

Popular Science

The 5 Best Free Streaming Services

You don’t have to pay for your entertainment. Try Tubi, Kanopy and others.

Glamour

The Unsinkable Scheana Shay

Through 11 seasons of “Vanderpump Rules,” the Bravolebrity never shied away from sharing every detail of her personal life—even when it was cringe. So will she let a little thing like the show ending get her down? If you think so, you don’t know Scheana.

Outside

Now Is the Best Time to See the Perseid Meteor Shower. Here’s How.

It’s the top shooting-star show of the year, and in 2025, we have the rare chance to view four meteor showers in one night.

Vox

The One, Big Unanswered Question About Ozempic

Millions more people will be taking a GLP-1 soon. What’s the catch?

Big Think

5 Science Facts That Come From Simply Watching the Moon

Even just by examining the Moon with the unaided eye, we can learn an incredible amount about the Moon, Earth, and more.

BBC

Record-Breaking Divers Are Pushing Human Limits and Reshaping Scientists’ View of Our Species

Humans have a long history of diving to forage from the seabed and today elite freedivers are reaching greater depths than ever. Some researchers argue humans belong in the sea.

Motherly

Most Premature Baby Ever Born Celebrates His First Birthday

At just 21 weeks gestation, weighing only 10 ounces, baby Nash Keen entered the world fighting. A year later, his parents, Mollie and Randall, are celebrating a milestone they once weren’t sure they’d see: Nash’s first birthday.

BBC

The Caribbean Islands That Give You a Passport If You Buy a Home

Five of the region’s island nations offer such citizenship by investment for as little as $200,000.

Business Insider

‘Grammatically Correct and Emotionally Vacant’: The Pitfalls of Relying on AI Too Much in Your Job Hunt

Recruiters say they’re getting stuck with piles of robotic-sounding résumés and applicants who are likely cheating during video interviews.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

Parents

A Parent Let Their Son Choose What to Do With Money They Found–Here’s What He Decided

Doing real-time experiments like this in the wild can teach us a lot about our kids and ourselves as parents.

NPR

Dear Life Kit: My Friend Says Ugly Things About Her Body and It Makes Me Anxious

Body-acceptance advocate Katie Sturino and Ronald Young Jr., host of the podcast Weight for It, answer listener questions about body image, weight loss drugs and bullying.

The Atlantic

The Problem With Rewards Credit Cards

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

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.

Kiplinger

Are You an Auto Theft Target? Discover the Clues

Thieves seized over 850,000 cars last year. See which models, states and behaviors draw the eyes of opportunists.

NPR

Home Sales Are Down. So Why Are Prices at an All-Time High?

Those with equity in a home can trade up more easily, while many first-time homebuyers are still stuck on the sidelines.