Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Women’s Health

The Best Mobility Exercises To Improve Your Range Of Motion And Help Nix Aches And Pains

Try them as a warm-up or a cooldown.

MIT Press Reader

The Brilliant Vision of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s “Sultana’s Dream”

When will we ever see realized what Sultana glimpses: the abolition of fossil-fuel technologies, the detoxification of masculinity, and the triumph of love and truth over fear and hatred?

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 Metal Ballad of Billy Mays III

Under his nomme de Bandcamp, Infinite Third, the son of the late, great television pitchman is shredding his way to his own legacy.

Inverse

His Software Sang the Words of God. Then It Went Silent.

Who was Thomas Buchler, the late creator of beloved Torah program TropeTrainer? And can anything be done to revive his life’s work?

Outdoor Life

How to Not Get Lost When Your GPS Fails

Your GPS is a modern marvel of navigation—until it fails. Here’s what to do next.

Harper’s Bazaar

Karyn Parsons and Coco Jones on the Art of Being Hilary Banks

The two actresses discuss the way their shared Bel-Air character shifted pop culture.

Good Housekeeping

How to Deep Clean Your Mattress Quickly and Easily

Cleaning Lab Director Carolyn Forte explains how to clean a mattress yourself.

Scott Young

What Medieval People Got Right About Learning

Apprenticeships are still around but most learning nowadays takes place in a classroom. Was it better before?

Nautilus

The Man Who Invented Modern Probability

Chance encounters in the life of Andrei Kolmogorov.

Scientific American

Brain Gain: A Person Can Instantly Blossom into a Savant—and No One Knows Why

Some people suddenly become accomplished artists or musicians with no previous interest or training. Is it possible innate genius lies dormant within everyone?

The Marginalian

Alain de Botton on Existential Maturity and What Emotional Intelligence Really Means

“The emotionally intelligent person knows that they will only ever be mentally healthy in a few areas and at certain moments...”

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, June 6

Men’s Health

5 Questions Your Doctor Wishes You’d Ask

This list will help you make the most of your next appointment.

The Atlantic

A Bizarre PTSD Therapy ‘Seemed Too Good to Be True’

What if overcoming trauma can be painless?

Texas Monthly

At 98, the Grandmother of Juneteenth Still Has Work to Do

“If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love.”

SELF

7 Ways to Heal Your Relationship With Exercise and Movement

Moving your body shouldn’t be a punishment.

The Washington Post

Parents Can Defeat the Smartphone Epidemic. They Can’t Do It Alone.

Families have successfully kept their kids off screens. Their secret? Organized resistance.

The New York Times

The Man Putin Couldn’t Kill

The story of the resources that were marshaled to silence a single inconvenient voice is a terrifying reminder of what Putin, and beyond him the rising generation of autocratic rulers, are capable of.

5280 Magazine

I Tried Magic Mushrooms for My Mental Health. Here’s What Happened.

In Colorado, scientists are looking to bring psychedelic mushrooms to the masses. Could their purported healing properties help me?

Phoenix New Times

A Septic Tank in This Tiny Arizona Town Could Crack a 2006 Cold Case

Keith King vanished 19 years ago in Seligman. A private detective thinks he knows where King’s body is — and who killed him.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Vanity Fair

Hollywood Therapists Meet the Moment: “If You’re Not Dispirited Right Now, You’re Dissociative”

With the entertainment industry in rough shape, everybody in LA is seeking shrinks and life coaches—or becoming shrinks and life coaches.

Nautilus

You Can Achieve the Ideal Version of Yourself

My evening under the influence of metaphysics.

CNET

AirTag 2 Rumors: What We’ve Heard About Apple’s Next Location Tracker

The AirTags have yet to be refreshed since their debut in 2021, but there are rumblings that the location tracker could be ready for an update.

Vox

The Midlife Crisis Is Coming for Millennials lol

How millennials are freaking out about being halfway to death, when everyone’s broke and already in therapy.

ProPublica

The Tech Recruitment Ruse That Has Avoided Trump’s Crackdown on Immigration

Every Sunday, newspapers are full of ads for tech jobs that aren’t really looking for applicants. They reveal an aspect of U.S. immigration law that hurts both domestic and foreign workers — yet has endured for decades.

capitalbnews.org

Larry Hoover’s Federal Sentence Commuted. How Have Chicago Streets Changed?

The former gang leader must still serve the remainder of his 200-year sentence stemming from a 1973 conviction.

Parents

My Tween & Teen Don’t Like Playing Games, but They Beg to Play This $20 Card Game Daily

The Words Are Hard game is a favorite pastime of my tween, teen, and even 88-year-old grandma. This popular card game is only $20 on Amazon.

Axios

Juneteenth Celebration Expands Despite Civil Rights Backlash

Juneteenth events are planned in New Hampshire snd Portland.

Men's Health

There’s 1 Big Thing No One Tells You About Parenting: It’s Terrifying

Being a dad “will still be the scariest thing I do,” says ‘Phineas and Ferb’ co-creator Dan Povenmire.

Harper's Bazaar

How a Creepy, Cuddly Toy Became the Hottest Accessory of the Season

The Labubu is the hottest accessory of the season and the craze shows no signs of slowing.

Business Insider

‘My Family Was Spending $2,500 on Food Delivery a Month — That’s $1,000 More Than Our Mortgage. Something Had to Change.’

My family of three teenagers was spending more on food delivery than on our mortgage. I felt ashamed of the price tag, so I’m cooking more at home.

Nature

Illustrators Call Out Journals and News Sites for Using AI Art

Bot-made art undermines research and public trust in science, say illustrators frustrated by inaccurate and outlandish depictions.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

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

Social Security Checks May Be Smaller Starting in June for Some, As Student Loan Garnishments Begin

The Trump administration warned that Social Security benefits could be garnished for defaulted student loans as early as June. What to know.

Inc. Magazine

6 Side Hustles That Could Take Off as Tariffs Grow

The full effect of the Trump tariffs likely won’t be seen in the U.S. for a few months, but the impact is already being felt on some products and at some retailers. Prices are inching higher despite temporary pauses on the highest duties in products from China and the European Union.

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.

Yahoo

4 Signs It’s Time to See a Financial Therapist

If your finances are causing you mental strife, seeking help from a professional can help you unpack the root cause and work toward a positive money mindset.

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?

Inc. Magazine

How to Effectively Return to the Office After Vacation, According to a Productivity Coach

You’ve had the most relaxing vacation over the past several days but are dreading returning to the office. Even if you absolutely love working as an entrepreneur, the sheer thought of getting back to the daily grind is enough to make you sigh.

CNBC

As Denmark Raises Its Retirement Age to 70, Experts Weigh in on Whether the U.S. May Follow Its Lead

Raising the retirement age to 70 would help Social Security's trust fund shortfall. But experts say an across-the-board change may hurt some beneficiaries.

Men's Health

How to Become Mentally Ready for Anything – 3 Techniques Used by the U.S. Army

There are some important transferable skills to use for your everyday life.