Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Darius Foroux

The 21 Most Important Questions Of Your Life

Sometimes the right question at the right time can spark the right answer that changes your life.

Nautilus

Don’t Tell Your Friends They’re Lucky

Luck has a lot to do with success. We just don’t want to admit it.

Bustle

65 Random Questions To Ask To Get To Know Someone Better

If you ran for president, what would be your campaign slogan?

BBC Culture

Five Ways to Be Calm – and Why It Matters

Is being calm about passivity and numbness, or is it a superpower that makes us strong? Lindsay Baker explores the ideas behind serenity, and ways that we can achieve it.

Homes & Gardens

Bedroom Items You Should Never Throw Out – 6 Pieces To Keep To Avoid Decluttering Regret

You’ll likely regret getting rid of these six bedroom items – here’s why you should hang onto them.

Afar

How to Take Your Kids out of School and Travel

Teaching your kids with the world as your classroom can take them further than any textbook. This is definitely not “home” schooling.

Bon Appétit

The 3-Ingredient Tuna Spaghetti I Fell for in Italy

Yes, two of the ingredients are tuna and spaghetti.

Narratively

The Woman Who Found a Snail in Her Soda and Launched a Million Lawsuits

Sixty-six years before the infamous spilled McDonald’s coffee, May Donoghue drank a ginger beer with a dead mollusk in it and changed personal-injury law forever.

BBC Future

The Secret Lab Hidden Inside a Famous Monument

The Monument is one of London’s most famous landmarks, even giving its name to a local Tube stop. But this tribute to London’s greatest fire also has a secret second use – as a giant piece of scientific equipment.

The Hustle

The Murky Math of the New York Times Bestsellers List

How to land one of the spots on the list.

Stylist

How to Deal With a Narcissist When You Can’t Avoid Them, According to a Psychologist

While it’s always advisable to give narcissists a wide berth, it’s not always possible. Stylist asked the experts how to manage narcissistic behaviour when you can’t avoid it.

Inc.

Beat Stress Like a Navy SEAL With This Ridiculously Easy Exercise

Control your breath, rule the day.

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 30

Vox

The Real Reason We Tip

…and why it needs to change.

The Hollywood Reporter

Is Gen X Dying Before Our Eyes?

The tragic passing of ‘Cosby Show’ star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 80's wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and heavy-metal icon Ozzy Osbourne bring on a generation’s old familiar feeling: doom.

NPR

Here Are the 13 Books That Made the Booker Prize Longlist

An epic fable about two young Indian writers. A dark comedy about a loner who gets a job as a chauffeur for the mega-rich.

The Hustle

The Only State Without a Walgreens Pharmacy

Many independent pharmacies are in turmoil throughout the US. But a unique law has made North Dakota a haven for mom-and-pop operators.

Mother Jones

The Surgery That Reveals Everything That’s Wrong With Women’s Health Care

From "wandering wombs" to modern biases, the troubling politics of hysterectomies

The Guardian

The Rise and Fall of the British Cult That Hid in Plain Sight

Philippa Barnes was a child when her family joined the Jesus Fellowship. As an adult, she helped expose the shocking scale of abuse it had perpetrated.

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.

Vogue

Are Drugstore Shampoos As Good As Their Expensive Counterparts?

Everything you need to know about choosing an affordable shampoo without sacrificing hair health.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Polygon

Donkey Kong Bananza’s Identity Crisis Doesn’t Get in the Way of a Good Time

Despite not knowing what kind of game it wants to be, DK’s Switch 2 adventure is a blast.

Natasha’s Kitchen

Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe

Our homemade Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe makes the perfect crispy, chewy crust using active sourdough starter. It’s also easy to make ahead.

The New York Times

Study May Undercut Idea That Cash Payments to Poor Families Help Child Development

Rigorous new research appears to show that monthly checks intended to help disadvantaged children did little for their well-being, adding a new element to a dispute over expanded government aid.

ESPN

Which Teams Break Through or Bounce Back in the 2025 College Football Season?

FSU has nowhere to go but up, Michigan can get way better, and Arizona State is building on its CFP berth. What other teams are primed for bigger things in 2025?

Real Simple

People Are Protein Maxing With the Viral “6 Eggs 6 Ways” Trend—We Asked RDs If It’s a Good Idea

The viral “6 Eggs 6 Ways” TikTok Trend is a way people are trying to up their protein intake. We spoke to a registered dietitian to see if this is a good food combination to try at home.

Vanity Fair

Fantastic Four: First Steps Is a Hit. Is That a Good Thing?

The movie is bland and perfunctory—and if it had failed, the studio might have been forced to try harder next time.

The Verge

One of Nintendo’s Most Creative Super Nintendo Games Is Now on the Switch

Mario Paint has been added to the Nintendo Switch Online’s SNES catalog and supports the Switch 2’s mouse mode.

Inc. Magazine

Let’s Talk About What Vibe Coding Is Really For

Vibe coding is a big party, and all good parties eventually get shut down. But not before all hell breaks loose.

The Conversation

What to Do When Wasps Crash Your Picnic – a Scientist’s Guide to Dining Safely With These Insects

Did you know wasps switch from ham to jam foraging during the late summer?

Business Insider

I Was Laid Off and Can’t Find a Job. My Savings Are Nearly Gone and My Self-Confidence Is Low, but I Believe I’ll Find One.

Michelle Keller was laid off from the company she worked at for 20 years. She’s applied for dozens of jobs and is worried about her finances.

Los Angeles Times

This Robot Uses Japanese Tradition and AI for Sashimi That Lasts Longer and Is More Humane

El Segundo based Shinkei Systems Corp. uses robots and AI to automate ikejime, a centuries-old Japanese fish processing technique for premium seafood.

Time

How Often Should You Wash Your Towels?

You almost certainly need to do more laundry.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Maclean’s

Confessions of the Working Poor

I work hard, buy quality clothes and know how to fake my way through dinner-party conversations. But behind the scenes, I’m part of a fast-growing Canadian underclass.

CNBC

While the Fed Kept Its Benchmark Unchanged, Here’s What Happened to Consumer Borrowing Rates

When it meets this week, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep its key short-term interest rate at its current target range — where it has stayed for all of 2025.

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.

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.

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 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.

USA TODAY

Trump’s Trade Deal With the EU: What It Means for Your Wallet

The new tariff could increase prices on goods such as cars, furniture and pharmaceuticals. Trump's tariffs are expected to raise prices by 1.8% in the short term, per the Yale Budget Lab.

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.

NPR

In a First, the Senate Confirms a New CDC Director

Susan Monarez is the first director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to require Senate confirmation. She’s also the first director without a medical degree in more than 70 years.

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.

NPR

The Manhattan Gunman Believed He Had CTE. What Does That Mean?

The gunman accused of killing four people in New York City suspected he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a degenerative brain disease often associated with football players.

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.’