💡 WiseUp! Vol. 10 — Drop into flow with focus mode, translate quotes, and more

📍 Let's start with a reading recommendation

How the World Almost Forgot Botticelli

Take a journey to Italy with our team and dive into the history of Florence and Tuscany in this thoughtful piece on Sandro Botticelli, an iconic Florentine Renaissance painter. "When Botticelli sat to paint Primavera and The Birth of Venus in the 1480s, he was at the precipice of a tradition that would become a staple in Western art: mythological paintings." Add to Reader

From the support inbox

Have questions about using Readwise or Reader in your workflow? We'd love to be your guide! Reply to this email with your question and you might be featured in an upcoming issue. Even if your question isn’t featured, we’ll respond to every message.

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❓ A Reader question from Ben J:

Is there a reading mode that vertically centers the text as I scroll?

Yes! If you struggle to get into a reading flow, focus mode is your new secret weapon in Reader. Hit Cmd + K and type "focus" to hide side panels vanish and spotlight one paragraph at a time. Your brain will thank you.

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❓ A Readwise question from Pritam M:

What’s the difference between Discard and Never in the Daily Review?

Discard removes a highlight from your Daily Review and from the document (though it’s still in your Discards folder if you need it later). Selecting Feedback > Never hides the highlight from your Daily Reviews but keeps it in your library under the original document.

📖 New help doc of the week

Transcend language barriers with Ghostreader

Explore new perspectives by translating any quote or passage into your preferred language with Ghostreader's translate prompt. Cayla customized hers to translate Italian into English, perfect for learning how locals make Chianti Classico in Tuscany.

Read the guide

🎬 New video of the week

In conversation with Jasmine Sun

Erin sat down with independent writer, technologist, and former Substack product lead Jasmine Sun to learn how she used Chat with Highlights to jumpstart her latest article in the SF Standard. Their chat also covered the evolution of Substack’s algorithm, developing confidence as a writer, and the future of writing in the AI era. (Like the interview format? Let us know!)

Add to Reader

📰 March 29 - April 4 updates

What's new in Reader and Readwise

🔎 Fixed Focus Mode — Images in Focus Mode now behave as expected and snap into focus when selected, thanks to Scott.

🔀 Fixed Instapaper Import — You can now manually import from Instapaper multiple times in a row without any hiccups, thanks to Rasul.

📱 Fixed Landscape Pages — Paged scrolling in landscape orientation should now work smoothly again, thanks to Artem.

🔄 Fixed Daily Digest — On Android, the Daily Digest will no longer get stuck in an infinite load loop. Thanks Arek!

🌀 Fixed Reduced Motion — If you use the “Reduced Motion” setting (popular for e-ink devices!), navigation out of articles should now feel much more stable thanks to Artem’s fix.

📄 Fixed Modal Display — Thanks to Arek, modals like the Daily Digest and “discover new documents” list now properly appear instead of hiding behind the rest of the interface, so they no longer seem like they’ve failed to load.

🛜 Parsing Updates — Kryzs improved how Reader handles documents from openai.com, theathletic.com, seuddeutsche.de, and spectrum.ieee.org.

👍 Three featured finds

From our Italian getaway

Something to read 📖
We’re setting the mood with A Room With a View by E. M. Forster—a classic that pairs perfectly with Tuscan hills and breezy afternoons.

Something to look your best ✨
In Florence, the Readwise ladies stumbled upon a local gem: a leather shop crafting buttery-soft blazers from Italian materials. Luxury feel, not-so-luxury prices.

Something to unwind 🍅
Italy takes appetizers seriously and so do we! It's easy to wait for lunch while chatting with old friends and munching on focaccia. Try Maria’s recipe from the Readwise community and bring a little Italy to your kitchen. Pro tip: top it with our favorite vinegar from yesterday's vineyard tasting.

💬 From the Readwise group chat

Buongiorno! 👋

We’re currently locked in for our 8th semi-annual team hackathon—experimenting with new features and brainstorming ways to help you get more out of reading. Have a feature you'd like to see someday? 💡 Send us a message or give it an upvote on our Canny board.