Reader's Digest

In this era of information overload, Reader’s Digest offers something unique: the very best advice, information and inspiration from multiple sources, condensed into an easy-to-read digest. In each issue you’ll get trusted, time-saving insights about Health, Personal Finance, Work, Family, and National issues, PLUS exclusive book excerpts, news-making interviews, and humor.

The Miracle of Memory

LETTERS • NOTES ON THE October ISSUE

The Caped Crusader • A four-year-old boy discovers that compassion for the less fortunate can produce superhuman results

Dog’s Best Friend

The CHICKEN WING SUPER BOWL • MOLLY SCHUYLER, age 39, Plumas Lake, California

LIFE IN THESE United States

QUOTABLE QUOTES

Maintain Your Purpose in Life • Start each year by writing it down anew. Your ever-changing answers may help you live longer and better.

Readers Share What Brings Meaning to Their Lives

News FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE

The Gift of a Great Neighbor • Passed from one home to the next, a box of ornaments reminds a family of the bonds around them

YOUR TRUE STORIES IN 100 Words

Holiday Money Savers That Work All Year

Potatoes All Eyes on Me: The World’s Dream Starch

PERFECT BOILED FINGERLINGS

The All-American Christmas Tree-dition

WE FOUND A FIX • 9 TRICKS TO Improve Your Life*

LAUGHTER THE BEST Medicine

AN ENGLISH MAJOR WALKS INTO A BAR …

The Church That Wouldn’t Burn • This holiday season, we’d like to share these stories—these gifts—of wonder, faith, and eternal life

Rockin’ Around

The Christmas Cassette

A Message from a Mermaid

Sonny in the Sky

The Magic Key

Life-Giving Touch

Photo from Heaven

LAUGH LINES

THE BEST MADE-UP WORDS EVER

Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Fasten Your Hula-Hoops

HUMOR in UNIFORM

THE MAGIC TRICK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

The LIFE SAVER on Dad’s Computer Screen • A daughter caring for her aging father finds help—and peace of mind—from a virtual companion named Pony

ALL in a Day’s WORK

You Own Every Bullet • In the midst of a tense ambush in Iraq, a soldier recalls his father’s valuable lesson

Inspirational Quotes (Updated for Modern Life)

Luck and the FOUR-LEAF CLOVER • One woman’s knack for finding good fortune

The Man Who RIGGED the Lottery • He got hold of the winning numbers—five times. But how?

UNFREEZE YOUR BRAIN • Can you use these items to attach the candle to the wall and light it? Step one is to jettison tired thinking patterns, which derail even the most intelligent among us.

HOW TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX • In addition to being open to dissenting opinions, here are some techniques that could help broaden the way you think

BRAIN GAMES

WORD POWER • You’re busy at this time of year, so we made this quiz as easy as a, b, c. All these words include those letters—in order (ignoring some repeats). You’ll find this aerobic mental exercise more fun if you don’t fabricate the answers, which are on the next page.

PHOTO FINISH • YOUR Funniest CAPTIONS