Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Mental Floss

The Origins of 25 Monsters, Ghosts, and Spooky Things

From myths to literature to giant squid, here’s how some of our favorite eerie creatures and legends got their start.

Elle

I Let a Psychic Take Over My Dating Apps

When nothing I was doing was working in my love life, I called in an aura reader.

MIT Press Reader

Descartes and the Discovery of the Mind-Body Problem

The French philosopher René Descartes is often credited with discovering the mind-body problem, a mystery that haunts philosophers to this day. The reality is more complicated than that.

Nautilus

The Book No One Read

Why Stanislaw Lem’s futurism deserves attention.

CityLab

Dutch Central Bank Restores Amsterdam’s ‘Ugliest Building’

Following a €320 million renovation by Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo, the once-ridiculed De Nederlandsche Bank building is more open and sustainable.

Quanta Magazine

Cosmic Triangles Open a Window to the Origin of Time

A close look at fundamental symmetries has exposed hidden patterns in the universe. Physicists think that those same symmetries may also reveal time’s original secret.

Bustle

21 Non-Awkward Texts To Send A First Date You Don’t Want To See Again

“Nothing good can come of a long text explaining what about them did not work for you.”

The Drive

How to Test Your Oil Pressure

Your engine’s oil pressure is vital to its integrity and longevity.

Darius Foroux

10 Practical Answers to 10 Powerful Questions

The other day I received an email from a reader with 10 questions she wanted me to answer. No introduction. No small talk. Just a list of questions and “Thanks for your time” at the bottom.

The Atlantic

The Long History of Discrimination in Pain Medicine

X-rays and other “objective"" instruments influenced controversies about whose pain should be believed.

Domino

8 Cool Moms on How They Minimize Screen Time—And the Kids Don’t Even Know It

From snow faces to jumbo books.

Fast Company

How to Tap Into Your Brain’s 4 Attention States to Get More Done

Instead of using traditional time management techniques, we need to manage our attention and workflow.

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

Monday, June 9

SELF

I’m a Neurologist. Here’s the One Thing I Do Every Day for My Long-Term Brain Health

If you’re worried about cognitive decline, add this to your routine.

Real Simple

How to Pick a Watermelon at the Store That's Sweet and Ripe

Learn how to tell if a watermelon is a good one with these simple tips.

The Guardian

‘Do You Have a Family?’

Midlife with no kids, ageing parents – and no crisis.

Pocket Collections

How to Do Less at Home

Separating laundry? Pre-rinsing dishes? You just don’t need to. These articles will free you — and tell you why.

NBC News

Planned Parenthood Provides Basic Health Care. If They Close, Where Will Many Women Go?

Citing deep funding cuts, at least 200 Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide are at risk.

Atmos

The Science And Symbolism of a Whale Fall

When a whale dies, its body creates a new mini ecosystem on the ocean floor—a process full of biological and poetic lessons.

The Atlantic

What Hula Taught Me

Keeping a culture alive, one step at a time.

The Associated Press

What I Learned About Getting a Hearing Aid

It might start when you realize you can’t hear the doorbell, or certain ringtones. Conversation sounds garbled.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Essence

Here, but Not Really Here: Inside the Silent Divorce Trend

In this trend, couples stay legally married but no longer connect emotionally, mentally, and sometimes physically.

Inc. Magazine

He Got Rejected for His Dream Job. His Response Is a Master Class in Emotional Intelligence

Frustrated after a rejection, Christopher Strebel wrote the company founder directly. His email is a case study in how to understand and manage emotions.

Popular Mechanics

Will Your Air Conditioner Last Through Summer? These Telltale Signs Mean It’s Time to Replace It.

If you’ve had your a/c for 5 to 10 years, it may be worth investing in a new unit.

Kotaku

Thief VR Is Not What We Wanted, but It Cannot Harm the Glory of the Original Trilogy

Thief: The Dark Project, Thief II: The Metal Age, and Thief: Deadly Shadows remain perfect games

Variety

How MrBeast’s ‘Beast Games’ Interviewed 100,000 Contestants and Edited 2 Million Gigabytes of Data for the Show: ‘It Turned Out Better Than I Ever Thought’

MrBeast says his reality competition program “Beast Games” “turned out better than I ever thought.”

Inc. Magazine

Unpaid Customer Invoices Are Piling up, Squeezing Small Businesses

A new survey finds a majority of entrepreneurs reporting growing numbers of late payments that cost companies an average of $40,000 annually.

The Hollywood Reporter

‘SNL’ Meets BLT? Lorne Michaels Said to Be Adapting Keith McNally’s Memoir

Sources tell THR the veteran late-night producer has optioned the legendary New York restauranter’s unfiltered new book. Plus, Hollywood stars humble brag in their Playbill bios, the late David Lynch’s damn fine coffee machines go up for auction, and why

Kiplinger

Stress Test Your Retirement Plan: Because Life Happens

The higher your stress test score, the more likely your retirement plan will hold steady in a crisis.

Real Simple

Stop Overpacking—These Space-Saving Travel Finds Are All You Need, and They’re Under $30

Amazon’s Luggage and Travel Gear hub is filled with space-saving travel essentials under $30 from Bagsmart and Bagail. Score clever travel finds like packing cubes, pill organizers, and TSA-approved toiletry bottles. Items start at $6.

Discover

Early Humans May Have Used Fires to Smoke Meat One Million Years Ago

Learn why early humans may have started using fires — not for cooking, but for securing and preventing their food from spoiling.

The Conversation

How to Protect Yourself From Narcissists’ Weapon of Choice – Passive Aggression

Passive aggression is appealing to narcissists because it is hard to prove.

ProPublica

Dismissed by DEI: Trump’s Purge Made Black Women With Stable Federal Jobs an “Easy Target”

The president’s attack on diversity efforts has derailed the government careers of highly educated civil servants — even though the jobs some lost were not directly involved with any DEI programs.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

NPR

Divorce Lawyers Say It’s a Seasonal Business. Here’s Why.

Divorce lawyers know certain times of the year are much busier than others.

CNBC

With an ‘Above Normal’ Hurricane Season Forecast, Check These 3 Things in Your Home Insurance Policy

Hurricane season began on June 1. Now is the time to take a look at your homeowners insurance policy and make sure you're well covered.

Time

10 Things to Say When Someone Won’t Get Off Their Phone

Trying to talk to someone stuck on their phone is such a universal experience, there’s a name for it: “phubbing,” short for “phone snubbing,” or ignoring someone in favor of a phone.

Stylist

The dos and don’ts of OOO etiquette, so you don’t ruin your (or anyone else’s) holiday

Summer holiday season is upon us. These are your out-of-office dos and don’ts.

HuffPost

Hand Sanitizer Isn’t As Effective at Killing Germs As You Think — Here’s What You Need to Know

Plenty of different types of viruses and bacteria are resistant to alcohol-based sanitizers. And they can make you very sick.

Well+Good

Not Only Do You Deserve a Little Treat—There Are Benefits, Too

Enjoying little sweet treats has gone viral on social media, but are there any physical and emotional benefits to treating yourself? Expert dietitians and mental health professionals weigh in here.

Harvard Business Review

Why Employees Work While Sick—and How Leaders Can Stop It

New research suggests that presenteeism isn’t simply a matter of personal choice or lack of sick leave—it’s a structural problem rooted in how jobs are designed and workplace expectations are managed.

NPR

A Surprising Trick to Making Hard Choices: Try Thinking Less

The tactic may seem counterintuitive, but it can help you make tough decisions faster and with more confidence, says decision coach Nell Wulfhart.

Business Insider

New Data Confirms It: Companies Are Hiring Less in Roles That AI Can Do

Most people assume it will take years for AI to reshape the job landscape. But tasks that chatbots can do are already vanishing from job postings.

The Atlantic

You Don’t Know Yourself As Well As You Think You Do

The dream of perfect self-knowledge is unattainable, and chasing it too doggedly can leave you more confused and stuck than when you started.

CNBC

Etsy CEO: People Who Make These 2 Early-Career Moves Become More Successful Than Most

Etsy CEO Josh Silverman shared the the two steps he took early in his career that set him up for later success, at Pace University's 2025 commencement ceremony.

The Guardian

I Found Myself Googling: Can Brain Cancer Cause Hiccups? How I Fell Into a Hypochondriac Rabbit Hole

Begging doctors for tests, I worried that I was missing something and heading for an early death. Would understanding the roots of my health anxiety lead me to a cure?