Entertainment
Prime members can get a free e-book every month with Amazon First Reads: See the thrilling July 2026 picks
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Summer vacation season is upon us. As you’re packing your swimsuit and sunscreen, don’t forget to pack your e-reader with plenty of summer reads. Luckily, Amazon just dropped its July First Reads lineup.
Prime members who also happen to be bookworms can maximize their monthly reading with the Amazon First Reads program. Similar to Book of the Month, every month, Amazon First Reads drops a new collection of discounted titles. However, unlike Book of the Month, these books are totally free for Prime Members. Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon First Reads.
What is Amazon First Reads?
Amazon First Reads is a monthly program in which eight to 10 editor-selected books are offered free to Prime members. Members are allowed to choose one book per month, which is then added to their library. Non-Prime members can still join in on the fun, but they have to pay $1.99 for their book pick.
Featured Amazon First Reads books are totally free at checkout for Prime members.
Credit: Screenshot: Amazon / Mashable composite
Some months, like Prime Day’s July (or June) and Black Friday’s November, offer two free books. And in others, you can select a free short story with your one free e-book.
To select your book, visit the Amazon First Reads home page to browse the options. As a Prime Member, you’ll see the option to “read now for free ” when you go to purchase the titles. Once you make your selection, it’ll automatically be added to your Kindle library.
Which books are featured in Amazon First Reads?
Among the eight to ten books selected each month, the book editors at Amazon provide a variety of genres for every reader. The books are typically new or soon-to-be-released books — many of the books are published under one of Amazon’s publishing imprints, so they’re exclusive to Amazon’s shelves.
In addition to the full-length books offered each month, there’s typically a short story available, too, exclusive to read through the Kindle Store. You’ll find familiar names in the First Reads collections. Past authors include Abby Jimenez, Rebecca Yarros, Lee Child, Fredrik Backman, Alice Hoffman, and Dean Koontz.
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Kindle Unlimited members are able to read most of the previous First Reads picks for free, so if there are multiple each month that you want to add to your digital bookshelf, consider a Kindle Unlimited membership.
July 2026 Amazon First Reads books
July’s First Reads includes a short story from Peter James and an array of thrillers, romance, and fiction.
Credit: Screenshot / Amazon
July’s First Reads lineup brings more fun stories for your summer reading list. The July deals feature nine novels and one short read.
This month’s short read, John Grebble Is Gone, comes from Sunday Times bestselling author Peter James. It follows John Grebble, who wakes up to find he’s been declared dead. He realizes this was no accident — someone intentionally tried to erase him, and he’s on a quest to figure out who.
But there are plenty more books to choose from, including a cozy mystery, The Oxford Detective Society, which is the first book in the Lyssa Moore Mysteries series.
Here are all of the First Reads deals for July 2026:
Do you need a Kindle for Amazon First Reads?
All of the books selected are technically purchased through the Kindle Store. But does that mean you need a Kindle to read them?
Nope! No Kindle e-reader is necessary to read books collected through First Reads. All books purchased through the Kindle Store are available in the Kindle app, which can be read on a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
However, if you’re asking if you should get a Kindle, that’s a different question. While a Kindle is not required to enjoy the bounty of the Kindle store, it is our favorite e-reader brand if you’re in the market.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 3, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you watch international soccer.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Skill move
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Green: Trustworthy
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Blue: Famous Dodgers
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Purple: In the bullpen
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Move to Evade a Defender
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Green: Dependable
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Blue: Dodgers in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Familiarly
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Purple: Pitching____
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #648 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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Move to Evade a Defender: DEKE, JUKE, SIDESTEP, SPIN
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Dependable: CONSISTENT, RELIABLE, STEADY, UNFAILING
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Dodgers in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Familiarly: DUKE, JACKIE, PEE WEE, SANDY
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Pitching____: COACH, MACHINE, STAFF, WEDGE
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for July 3, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
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Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
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Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
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Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
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Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
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Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 3 Pips
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 5-6, placed horizontally.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 3 Pips
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed horizontally.
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Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally.
Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 3 Pips
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 0-6, placed horizontally.
Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically; 2-0, placed horizontally.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 1-5, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 2-3, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed vertically.
Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 3-6, placed vertically; 6-4, placed horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 6-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
The Raunchy R-Rated 80s Teen Comedy On Streaming That Defined A Generation
By Brian Myers
| Published
The 1988 film Heathers not only helped launch the careers of three of its stars but also captured the cynicism and black humor that grew to become two of the defining characteristics of Generation X. The film’s dark subject matter is remarkably lightened with Daniel Waters’ script and director Michael Lehmann’s touches, who both worked to produce a movie that was the polar opposite of the more optimistic teen films of the John Landis/John Hughes era.
Mean Girls Before Mean Girls
Heathers follows high school student Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) who inadvertently falls into the popular girl clique at Westerburg High School. The three girls she runs with are snarky, cruel, and from wealthy families, and seem to revel in making life harder for anyone they believe is beneath their station in life. Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), Heather McNamara (Lisanne Falk), and Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty) are collectively known as “The Heathers,” and serve as a group that Veronica strives to separate from.
Enter a new guy J.D. (Christian Slater), who becomes the object of Veronica’s affection. His zany behavior includes firing a gun (loaded with blanks) at bully football players, and a fascination with explosives. He and Veronica quickly bond and concoct a plan for revenge on Heather Chandler after the snobby girl has a falling out with Veronica at a party.
In true black comedy fashion, Heathers has the worst-case scenario come to life multiple times throughout its 103-minute run. J.D. and Veronica end up killing Heather Chandler, setting off a course of events that lead to insane murder plots that culminate into an explosive ending.
Heathers follows the darkest of plotlines but successfully pulls off becoming a comedy with its quirky one-liners and outrageous plot twists. The film itself is the penultimate definition of irony captured on celluloid, as each action taken by J.D. and Veronica have the most unintended consequences imaginable. Though entirely unbelievable, the writing and the characters are able to make the environment and the vibe of the film familiar and leave you wanting a bit more.
Ryder and Slater Knew The Assignment
Heathers gives a great look at Winona Ryder’s jump from little Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice) into teen comedy and drama roles that would be her mainstay in the years before her co-starring role on Stranger Things. The movie certainly made her a commodity in Hollywood and elevated her to elite status among Gen X audiences.
The same could be said for Christian Slater, who’s J.D. made it possible for the actor to be cast in offbeat comedy films Kuffs and Pump Up the Volume. He and Ryder play off one another without missing a beat and are truly one of the film’s components that shine the brightest.
Heathers proved to be well ahead of its time, but the cult status it quickly earned made filmmakers pay attention to a new subset within teen audiences who wanted so much more out of films than love stories and happy endings. Its legacy is far reaching, as Slackers, Reality Bites, and Jawbreaker would likely not have been made if not for the example set by this underappreciated 1988 film. Heathers gets 4.0/5.0-stars for its acting, hilarious screenwriting, and the overall vibe that Lehmann was able to capture with the project.
As of this writing, you can stream Heathers for free through Tubi, YouTube, Pluto TV, and Amazon Prime Video.
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