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.
Truly True Crime
LETTERS • NOTES ON THE Dec./Jan. ISSUE
Nailed It! • After a salon turns away a physically challenged woman, a stranger makes a truly beautiful gesture
The Ice Man to the Rescue
The Key West CONCH SHELL BLOWING CONTEST • MARY LOU RACE, age 71, Panama City Beach, Florida
QUOTABLE QUOTES
LIFE IN THESE United States
Lie about your age. And get away with it.
A Five-Year-Old Teaches a Lesson in Grace • On the night the author loses patience with her mother and her dementia, a granddaughter’s love unites them all
Build a Better Breakfast • 11 ways to get the most out of the first—and most important—meal of the day
News From the WORLD OF MEDICINE
Facts That Take the Blarney Out of St. Patrick’s Day
HUMOR in UNIFORM
To Any Soldier
LAUGHTER • THE BEST Medicine
WE FOUND A FIX • 9 TRICKS TO Improve Your Life*
A Sweetener That’s the Bee’s Knees
HONEY BUTTER, HOMEMADE
Cochlear Implants – Life Beyond Hearing Aids • Do you strain to hear each day, even with powerful hearing aids?
The Bible That Beat a Tornado
50 HEALTH FACTS Your Doctor Wants You to Know • Knowing which of these statements have been verified by SCIENCE—and which are MYTHS—could boost your health
35 MOST TRUSTED BRANDS in Health & Wellness
The Internet Chump Who Became a Champ • An online con goes wonderfully, implausibly right
My Friend the TIMBER WOLF • Deep in the Alaskan wilderness, a prospector comes to the rescue of an injured mother wolf and her pups, and a lasting connection is formed
THE FUNNIEST CONFESSIONS FROM BOSSES, COWORKERS, AND CLUELESS APPLICANTS
DUMB APPLICANTS • Looking for a job? Make sure your résumé is up to snuff. A lot of job seekers don’t, and we’ve pulled together some actual blunders to prove it.
“I THINK I’M INNOCENT” • DNA analysis is the most reliable crime-scene tool, having exonerated dozens of wrongly convicted people. But it can sometimes lead to tragic mistakes.
Time for a Reality Tech
Before They Were STARS • Eight fictional icons with looks and backstories so fantastic they have to be based on actual people. But whom?
THE PERFECT BRAIN FOOD • Reading isn’t just filling your head—it’s nourishing it. The latest science on the magic of books.
BRAIN GAMES
WORD POWER • Like the month of March—which is named for the Roman war god, Mars—the words in this quiz all have their origins in mythology. Muse upon them, then consult the fates for answers (or just turn the page).
PHOTO FINISH • YOUR Funniest CAPTIONS