The Busy Mom's Guide to Reading More: Audiobooks, Book Clubs & 5 Beginner Picks || with Meagan Briggs

In this episode I chat with Meagan Briggs, who shares her remarkable journey from reading occasionally to devouring over 150 books a year. Our conversation dives into how she reignited her love for reading and the role it plays in her life as a busy mom. Her story is an inspiring reminder of the importance of carving out time for ourselves, even in the midst of motherhood. Join us as Meagan offers practical tips on incorporating reading into your life and how audiobooks can fit seamlessly into a busy routine. Her insights have certainly invigorated my approach to self-care, and they might just do the same for you. Tune into the episode to discover how you can reignite your passions and fuel your personal growth.

Complementary episodes: ⁠⁠3 Tips to Becoming a Bookworm⁠⁠ 

 ⁠⁠Meagan's Book Club Current Top Reads⁠⁠ 

 ⁠⁠Meagan’s IG⁠⁠ 

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TRANSCRIPT

Monica Packer: Hi, this is Monica Packer. This month on About Progress, I am bringing you a special series featuring select sessions from last year's More for Moms conference.

Last year, I created this online gathering for mothers who know there's more available to them than simply surviving motherhood. More happiness, more fulfillment, more fun, more progress. This conference was born out of my own experience as a mom who loved her family deeply, but still found herself feeling depleted, at times resentful, and almost always disconnected from herself.

I have learned that when moms have more in their lives, they have more to give, not because they're sacrificing less, but because they're finally including themselves on their own priority lists. Right now, this month, I am neck deep in prepping for the second round of the More for Moms conference.

So throughout July, I am sharing a small handful of some of my very favorite sessions from last year's conference right here on the About Progress feed. These conversations are practical and encouraging. They are deeply relevant for any mom who wants to feel more like herself again. If you love what you hear, good news.

You can get instant access to all twenty-five conference sessions from twenty twenty-five's conference with the archive pass. This includes lifetime access to all videos, transcripts, a private podcast feed, and speaker resources, all ad-free, which will be different than what you hear this month as I have to put ads on any episode that airs on the About Progress feed.

You can use the code LISTENER right now at checkout at aboutprogress.com/moreformoms to get an additional fifty percent off the archive pass, which has already been discounted, so it now amounts to ninety-four cents for each speaker session. The content for 2025's conference is set to officially archive this August so I can make room for 2026 content.

Use the code LISTENER at checkout at aboutprogress.com/moreformoms to get lifetime access to all of the soon-to-be archived content. I cannot wait for the new content coming your way, and also hope that you'll take advantage of this discount and get that archive pass.

It's linked for you in the show notes. \ It's now time to share one of my favorite sessions from last year's content. That speaker session is coming up after a quick break for our sponsors

 

Monica Packer: You are not bad at habits. You've just been using methods designed for men. My first book will be published this fall. It's called Sticky Habits: A Woman's Guide to Reclaim Happiness, Ditch Perfectionism, and Create Habits That Last. It's set to release September 8th, but you can pre-order the book right now for three special pre-order bonuses, from a listening companion guide that took me hours and hours to create to a free pass to my online course, Finding Me, and our exclusive virtual launch party on September 8th with some special guests, This book is not about doing more. It's about building habits that survive real life, creating routines that flex instead of break, letting go of perfectionism that keeps you quitting, and learning how to keep promises to yourself.

and that's even on the hard days. In a world of self-help that too easily ignores the invisible labor women carry, that changes everything, because women must do habits differently. Sticky Habits will teach you how. Please pre-order the book now and check out the special pre-order bonuses again by going to stickyhabitsbook.com.

That's linked for you in the show notes. I am so thrilled for this book to be out in the world. It is several years in the making, and I know it will change so much for you. Again, go to stickyhabitsbook.com to pre-order the book now

 

Meagan Briggs, it's such a joy to have you part of the More For Moms Conference.

Monica Packer: Thanks for being here.

Meagan Briggs: Thank you so much for having me. I truly feel like such a special girl to be invited to this.

Monica Packer: Okay. That makes me feel so good because the feeling is mutual. This is something that I have been looking forward to talking about also because it's something that at one point in my life was real natural for me and then it fell off and then it was something I had to build my way back up to. And I'm sure a lot of women relate to that, this desire to have a hobby of reading in their life.

So I wanted to begin with your own bachelor word journey with reading.

Meagan Briggs: that.

Monica Packer: Yeah. Don't we love that. I wanna hear about if you've always been a reader and even more, I want to hear how your reading path has been as a mom.

Meagan Briggs: Oh, perfect. So I am probably. The non-typical route, I was not a reader growing up at all. I think I just read what was expected. You know, I read Twilight, I read the Hunger Games, Harry Potter, you know, just kind of the big named. Book series that were all around us all the time growing up, you know, as a millennial and, um, around the time when I had my third baby and I was taking my kids to the library all the time, story time, you know, bonding with fellow moms in the same season, and I wasn't really around women who were. I guess prioritizing books, you know, we loved the library for the social, but it wasn't, oh, let me tell you about this book. I was, you know, I just read. And so I think that is tricky. When you're not really exposed to it, you're not thinking about it. And um, had just moved to a new area and a friend invited me to her book club and I told her, Hey, I read maybe a book a year.

That's all. Like, and that's been for years and years. I don't think I'm welcome there. And she was like, absolutely not. You don't even have to read the book. We want you there. And so it snowballed from there. So that was about nine years ago where I really felt, oh, this is a whole world that I don't really know about.

And it stemmed from reading a book a month with my book club, and then I would go to the library with my kids and off to the adult fiction section and would just grab a cute cover or something that maybe I would

like. And you know, all these years later, I'm now reading. Over 150 books a year, which is crazy. But I've noticed that the seasons of my life have definitely been not as full in my life in, you know, since I really started to pick it up and. To lean into those fun seasons and realize, you know, this pace at least, is not consistent all every day

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: but it's been a super just enlightening world to be part of.

And now that I am. Interviewing authors and kind of rubbing elbows in the book world. I kind of made up my own job. I say that and I honestly did, and it's kind of funny, but truly it has been crazy that, you know, growing up I was not a reader. I was kind of on the low end of the spectrum of reading comprehension scores, and then I kind of labeled myself as. You're not a reader girl, this,

Monica Packer: Mm-hmm.

Meagan Briggs: maybe you should lean into something else. And then now as an adult thinking, I was always a reader, it just was. Not the time or I wasn't exposed to it or I didn't find the books that I really liked. And so it's been, it's kind of funny to look back and just see how things have changed throughout the years and that I created four children who all love to read and that is a huge, huge aspect of why I continue to read books.

Monica Packer: So I didn't know this about you. I didn't know that you weren't a reader growing up, and that makes me love your story all the more, especially when you started it like three kids in. That's the trenches.

Meagan Briggs: and

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: was so, don't know, I, because I talked to lots of people and they just kind of assume that I

Monica Packer: Yes.

Meagan Briggs: huge nerd and red voraciously since a young age. And there were seasons for sure. Um, but not the point where. I could recall books, classics, and you

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: like that. And you know, I think we all assume reading needs to be something. You know, read the classics, read the modern literature, you know, from high school English class,

and that's what it is. And it's totally not. There

Monica Packer: Yes.

Meagan Briggs: out there that are for everyone, and it's so beautiful to see that and open all of these doors that you can find exactly what you're looking for in the types of books that you wanna read. And. That's wonderful. And if you wanna be in the fantasy world, girl, there's lots out there. And if you wanna do nonfiction, that's a world too, you know? So it's, it's, it's cool to see how reading, I think, has changed through social media as well with, you know, TikTok and Instagram and just social media in general that women, you know, 15 years ago for us raising little babies. Pinterest was barely alive, you know, and so we weren't really exposed to that at such a fast pace of, you know, QuickBook reviews or a book call or a library hall and new books on the market. And now it seems like it's everywhere. And so I, there's been a huge uptick of people starting to read for the first time, really for themselves.

Monica Packer: That's the key word there, I think for themselves. Right. Um, you. You brought up kind of that moment, that opportunity really to step into the world of reading and to make it your hobby with that book club. Okay. I'm an English major English teacher, like all those things. I've never read a book for a book club.

Like I've never officially finished anything and most of the time I just don't even show up because of my own issues. So this is why I wanted to talk to you about this because I think a big part is seeing an opportunity and taking it. And I wanted to know what was it about that particular experience that hooked you?

Like what did reading bring to you at that point of your life and your motherhood that made you want to prioritize it and to do more of it?

Meagan Briggs: I think honestly it was seeing women in the same season as me. We all had little kids. We were hardly sleeping. were in the car driving here, there, everywhere, and I saw them love reading and about it. And I think in my mind, those two things were separate. It was like

this time of my life dedicated to my kids, especially those young, years of just getting through the day did not lend itself to pick up a book.

' cause in

my head I kept thinking, who's sitting down on a couch reading? When your kids are storming the house, you know it. I think we just picture this very calm moment of mommy read her in peace. That's not the reality. I can guarantee it for 99% of us. And so I saw these women in this book club and I think it took me a couple months to even just get the courage to go, 'cause that's an introverted, I just don't wanna. Be that new person and introduce myself to all these people. And it was scary and, uh, to, to look back now. It was crazy to even feel that hesitation 'cause now there's still friends of mine all these years later and how special of a connection that is and huge part of my life at that season and seeing them be so just excited about these books. me wanna pick it up and see what it was all about, you know? And we did have a few that turns to pick the book of whatever that we were reading and host at their house. And that was so fun to go to each other's homes and have a good snack plate and just giggle and laugh and kind of check out from busy life and you know.

Was the book always good? No, okay. You read the book. And your bonding. And your connecting, and that is the takeaway. I don't remember. Uh, I do remember a couple of books that we read over, you know, the two years that I was in that book club. But I can remember so many other wonderful aspects of just the connection and to feel, oh, this is such a great place that I.

Feel welcome at, even though I might not be reading a hundred books a year or whatever, um, compared to the next one.

Monica Packer: Mm-hmm.

Meagan Briggs: um, yeah, it just, I'm so glad I took a chance on that and that looking back has just snowballed into today.

Monica Packer: You know, your answer reminds me of something. I'm working with a woman. Um, I'm a, as a coaching client on how to make time for herself. And her biggest motivator is what she said, and I, I just have to say it the way she said it. She said, I want to be a person. And that's it. Just everything you just painted there, that's a, a fully alive person.

So whether that's hobby, mountain climbing, or, I don't know, harvesting honey, I don't even know the proper term for that. Or reading. That's what this can give to you. The connection to others, to yourself, to feel alive. That's what you just described for me.

Meagan Briggs: Right, and I think it's so easy to get lost in motherhood,

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: I totally, oh man. I can look back on seasons of my life where I am unrecognizable to just those memories that I don't, it's hard for me to go back sometimes in that. Different seasons and just kinda just, I felt bad for her, you know,

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: back like she did.

She didn't prioritize. Herself and that, and I do think there are opportunities and there might not be opportunities in certain seasons of life. And during that time when I started reading, I also picked up other hobbies, which

Monica Packer: Yeah. Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: it was like, oh, if I can read, I'm gonna maybe go on a run and listen to an audiobook and then I'm gonna run my first half marathon.

Like that's. That happened in the same calendar year, and so you kind of look back of, well, are those two things separate or did it just, you know, time opened up, time never opens up. I think we can all agree on that. Time doesn't just appear to be available of whatever you want it to be. You really have to. Fit it in,

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: that your life, uh, just works for that. And um, I think of the things for me that has been really valuable and what I share with people is that reading isn't just adding to your life. It's not, oh, I wanna read, so I'm gonna do all of these things and then read

Monica Packer: Yes.

Meagan Briggs: read within your life if you're, you know, at a soccer practice for an hour, don't scroll on your phone.

Bring a book that's easy, that time is already carved out for you. So it's kind of this replacing mentality of if I'm driving in the car. Maybe I'm listening to an audiobook. If I'm waiting on my kid at his orthodontist appointment, gonna bring my Kindle and catch 10 minutes on this book. And it takes time to, , I think remember that and be prepared for it because I think as moms we're so, uh, used to the dead time. space of the waiting, the driving. that can sometimes feel redundant and frustrating. And I now am so excited. I'll take, yeah, I'll take you to lacrosse practice. I need to finish my book.

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: to me, you know, and so there's a balance there. Obviously, we never want to completely check out. Right of the present, but kind of that dead space has been really interesting to just kind of explore, for me personally, where if I'm doing that three days a week, I'm reading a few books a month, which I wasn't doing before.

Monica Packer: I, I think you've just spoke to some of the limitations that we encounter when it comes to picking up a hobby, like reading. We just think one day, one day I'll be able to, and like you said, the time never shows up. You have to find those, that dead space that you talked about to. Put this in, but also I think one of the limitations beyond just the self labels of I'm not a reader or reading only counts if I'm reading the classics or if I'm like sitting down and reading it.

It's the, a live space, I guess I would say. Like how there's always something to do. Um, and I want to hear what you could say to that particular limitation. And also I think the practical solution is audio books jumping ahead.

Meagan Briggs: Right.

Monica Packer: but yeah. But what would you say to that particular limitation? If someone's like, I don't have dead space.

I have

Meagan Briggs: no

Right. Right. It was in the COVID years that I discovered audiobooks. And if you are hearing of me for the first time, which I'm sure most of you are, I am a huge audiobook advocate. It is life changing and it does take time to practice that skill. It is like learning how to read a book.

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: learning it in a different way listening, so does take time. catch on, I guess is what

Monica Packer: Sure.

Meagan Briggs: you know, even with speed reading, it takes practice reading a lot to become a faster physical, you know, with your eyes reader. And during those COVID years, I went for a lot of walks. I think we moved one time during that. I remember listening to my first audiobook and thinking, wow, I could have done this while nursing my babies in the middle of the night. I could have been doing this many times where folding laundry, I'm going on a walk. I am, you know, think sometimes, and I'm careful saying this, that sometimes the monotony of motherhood is really mentally draining. And it really feels nice to connect with something else, but still being present.

Monica Packer: Mm-hmm.

Meagan Briggs: you're at the park pushing your kids on a swing while listening to an audiobook. To me, that was such a time to still be there.

Monica Packer: Hmm.

Meagan Briggs: is here, but also I'm having a really hard day and I just need to. Tune in for a minute to something else.

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: Um, and I, you know, I say that carefully because I think that can, obviously any habit can create friction in life, um, in a negative way.

But me personally, audio books have been of the things I can get done that are kind of these mindless. that are still meaningful, that I'm also feeling very fulfilled at the same time listening and finishing a book and. I mean, audio books 15 years ago were very robotic now.

It's immersive and enjoyable and it's just like listening to a movie sometimes, you know?

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: I am a huge audiobook advocate, and people are like, okay, we, we've heard it. We've heard it. We know you love it. Okay. But it's true. it has been so great in my life just to balance that.

Monica Packer: . I'm glad you would advocate for it. I know there's some people who don't think it counts as reading, but it totally does. Even the science shows like you. Learn just as much and you digest just as much and all of that.

But beyond it, I think what you're trying to remind us of is that it's the importance of connection, two step thing that helps you actually feel connected back to yourself. And that's why this conference came about. It's, it's so that we can be those women, we can be ourselves, but also that we have something to give from on those days where it is full of a groundhog day kind of experience, which I think we all can say carefully, but connect with too.

I would like to go into some more practical advice here for those who are especially ready and they're like, okay, sign me up. I see the opportunity. That door is open. I'm gonna step through it. I'm going to resist my limitations and I'm going to try this thing.

What tips do you have for those women?

 

Last year I embarked on creating the largest project of my entire career as a podcaster, an exclusive online conference for moms who are ready for more. Thousands of moms enrolled to the More for Moms conference, and I had some of the best conversations I've ever recorded with 25 world-class speakers, helping women access more in their happiness, habits, health, home, and hobbies.

As I now prepare for round two of this conference for this coming fall, you now have the opportunity to access year one's content with the special archive pass and now at a special discount. Imagine a year's worth of About Progress interviews, but all in one place, serving one clear purpose with zero ads and a private podcast to boot.

You can watch on video or read the transcripts as well if that's what you prefer. Speaker sessions range from super deep to extremely practical, with each one being tailor-designed for any busy mom who has that inkling for more. You can now get 50% off a recently discounted price of 2025's archive by using the code listener at checkout at aboutprogress.com/moreformoms.

That new lower price breaks it all down to just ninety-four cents per speaker session.

Again, use the code LISTENER for 50% off the archive pass of 2025's content by going to aboutprogress.com/moreformoms before this content is archived this August

 

Monica Packer: What tips do you have for those women?

Meagan Briggs: I could carry on for so long. There are so many great things out there that are doable and accessible to everyone, and I'd say the first thing for sure is go to your library. Go to your library, get a card. You can get eBooks. You can get audiobooks. There's apps where you can just download them and your librarians know everything.

Even though

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: a little scary, I'll say that. Even as grown woman, I still sometimes am like. Hi. Yeah, so smart and they know everything and they can point you in the right direction. And oftentimes they have a section of our picks, you know, the staff's picks. And I do think when you have young kids, they have so many great. Places for them with craft time and story time, and

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: a great community thing to really get involved with. That's just, that's at the base level. That's at, you know, that's just, you wanna go your feet wet at the library. my next recommendation, just tip in general is replace 10 minutes your day with reading. If you like to just kind of sit and disassociate. We all do. all do, and that's okay. But if you're wanting to do that, just carve 10 minutes out and read a book. for me personally, love to read on my Kindle because you can actually make the font really big. Like I'm talking really big and. So when you're reading, and this is for me personally, I do feel like this has to be a little science behind it. You can read faster when the text is bigger.

Monica Packer: Yeah, I need to try that.

Meagan Briggs: Yeah. So I like to make my text big and then I can just fly through books and I will say the, the next tip, and that's along with that is always be prepared with a book in your hand. And I think when books are on your brain, you're gonna see people reading out in public all the time. so fun. What is she reading? What are you reading? And it's fun to just kind of create conversation. And I'm such an introvert. I don't love talking with strangers. But if it's a book that I recognize and I can say. Are you enjoying that? That book is so good. You know, and it just has that moment connection, which I think is so beautiful for moms that are staying home, or the busy moms or the running, just everything is chaotic. Having that human to human connection is so beautiful and it's meaningful. Um. Okay, what else do could I recommend? So you always want to keep one with you. I guarantee somebody has a book club your neighborhood, maybe you're on the Facebook page and just putting it out there. Hey, is there a book club I can join? And that helps you be social. You can start it on your own. I've done that twice. I've started my own book club That both times have been amazing. So, um, I'm trying to think of other, there's so many of just finding you're not gonna find the time, so just replace your time. That's huge. And I think that will get you started where those 10 minutes might turn into three times a day.

Monica Packer: Yes.

Meagan Briggs: And then there you go. You're on your way already.

Monica Packer: You know, I would love to also hear some audiobook tips because I'm thinking back, the first audiobook I listened to was 1776.

Meagan Briggs: Oh man.

Monica Packer: That was a mistake. That was a mistake because that made me think that I did not like audio books because it was so hard to listen to that. Um, so I'm sure you have some beginner tips too to getting into audio books.

Meagan Briggs: That great question and there are so many wonderful platforms and apps for audiobooks. There's a few subscription ones where, you know, like Audible, Libro fm, those you pay for monthly and get one credit and every, I'm pretty sure every. App that I have, and I think I have 10 on my phone. You can always listen to a sample

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: so just turn that on. It might be a five to 10 minute sample because the narration does matter. You know, maybe there's an accent sprinkled in there that's maybe hard for you to tune into for 15 hours, you know, so it depends. I think narration is huge and listening to the sample will just give you a little bit. If you like that narration. is my second tip, and this does feel complicated when you're new to audiobooks listening at 1.0, which every audiobook starts at 1.0 when you hit play is very hard to digest because

it is not conversational. You and I talking we're at like 1.6. You're not digesting a conversational. It's hard to listen to and that you can kind of stray from and get a little bored of. And so I always say every hour, especially when you're new, every hour of the audiobook, just bump it up. So you're starting at 1.0. Then go to 1.1, get comfortable, 1.2, then see where you're comfortable listening to the audiobook, and you'll be so surprised that you can understand at a pretty fast narration pace.

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: So that's, at least for me, I always suggest find your comfortable listening, because that will make it, the story picks up. It's a little more exciting. It feels like you're turning the pages. That's what it feels like. But at 1.0, I always tell people it's like that seen in Zootopia at the DMV where everything's kinda. Sloth space,

Monica Packer: yes.

Meagan Briggs: when you bump it up a little bit. It just is more conversational and more enjoyable.

Monica Packer: Um, okay. Those are great tips. And I would say another thing I would recommend is just following you and, and someone like you, I mean someone who likes to talk about books, but there tend to be people that like similar books that you like or have a similar-ish. Taste that you can just get excited of the books that they recommend and, and, uh, try them out here and there.

And you have great interviews, uh, with I, I mean, I was so excited when you had Julia Whelan on. She's the best narrator of all time, but you also have authors on, so even just getting in the world of it via Meagan and other people like you, I think is really helpful to just, you know, catch that bug.

Meagan Briggs: I agree. So fun, and I, I agree on those audiobook apps you can. Actually search the narrator. So if you find a

Monica Packer: I didn't even know that.

Meagan Briggs: that you love, like Julia Whelan or Marin Ireland, or there's so many, you can search their name and just look at their catalog and then you're already familiar with their narration of that other book.

And then maybe I'll try this book. So I love that aspect too, where you find one that you like and you can just stick with it.

Monica Packer: Okay. That's brilliant. Thanks for teaching me something new today. So let's give a couple book recs since you were so good at that. And this is tailor designed for those who are in that position, like they're getting back into reading, whether it's, you know, from childhood they read and now they, and they stopped and now they're coming back, or they never really did.

They just wanna become a bookworm. So what would you recommend?

Meagan Briggs: Well, you asked for me to prepare three to five recommendations. That is that

clearly.

Monica Packer: like choosing children.

Meagan Briggs: So hard to do. So I do have a few here and I pulled them from my shelves. One that I would recommend for audio and physical is this one, remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. This book is incredible. It's just heartwarming.

It's friendships, it's found family. , It is full of hope. good. The cover is so cute. And what's so fun on Audio, the Octopus, because he is a character in the book, , he has his own separate narrator and he's so good. It's so fun. So you feel that this is a very humanized octopus, like he is. He's out there in the world somewhere.

We love him. Um, so

Monica Packer: Love that wreck.

Meagan Briggs: right creatures highly recommend. Okay. Then this one you've probably seen around. It's called the Midnight Library by Matt Hague. He is an incredible author and human in general, and this one is more leaning into something called magical realism, meaning there's, you know, it's not really reality.

There's, you have to suspend it a little bit. And this main character has these experiences that show her life. If she had made different choices and we go with her through this library where she opens doors to different, you know, if she took a different path. I did this one for our book club a few years ago, and it just was the most amazing discussion because I think we all have moments of what if I. down that path and what would've happened. We, everybody has that. So I thought that was a very relatable, great topic of discussion. ,

Monica Packer: And he writes women really well too, which I think is pretty rare.

Meagan Briggs: you read that one?

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: It's so good. Okay. This one I talk about all the time, it's called All The Lonely People by Matt or by Mike Gale. this one's also fantastic on audio.

The narrator is like so heartwarming and just comforting. But this is a story about a widow who, um, has tricky. Relationships with the people in his life and he's trying to find kind of purpose again and has just a beautiful found family. was told the other day that my books that I love and recommend are and I wouldn't

Monica Packer: No.

Meagan Briggs: I'd say there's aspects, but the way that I. Love books are very human

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: books.

I love to feel validated and love people's lives, and that's what I really, really love. Okay. Can I do two more?

Monica Packer: Please, yeah, go for it.

Meagan Briggs: Um, okay. This one's actually a movie too, and I'm sure you guys have all watched the movie, but if you haven't, you must read the book first. The Storied Life of AJ Vickery by Gabrielle Z. This is. a great book and there's, it's heartwarming and it's bookish. If you love books about books, this is great. Uh, it's kind of a grumpy, sunshine kind of trope. There's a lot of hard things in this book as well, but there's second chances. Love loss. a tissue box. Um. It's great. So I love this one and it's been out for a long time.

I bet. And I bet you could find it at the library today. So

Monica Packer: That's fantastic.

Meagan Briggs: Okay, my last one, now I'm thinking, is this a good one to end on? Okay.

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: the Measure by Nikki Erlich, and you'll see, sometimes honestly, seeing the Book Club stickers helps to guide you. picking a

book too,

you know, the Reese Club. Jenna's Club. Oprah's Club, that at least narrows down. A million books at a library or at a bookstore. So if you look for, I mean, I am not an advocate of stickers on our books, just in general, them off please. But it does kind of narrow down choices. So this is a book about another kind of magical realism where people are gifted a box with a string inside the box of different lengths and they. that these strings are the links of their lives and lots of things happen and. People are afraid to open their box to see the length of their string. And it's very introspective and such a great discussion book of would you look in the box? Would you wanna know the length of your life? Would you change something of what you're currently doing?

So the measure, oh man. So good. So yeah, that was impossible to give you five, but there you go.

Monica Packer: I mean, those are five incredible books. So I think you did an amazing job, and we'll give them another resource in just a little bit for more recs. Um, I'd also love to hear if there's something that you've read lately that you've really loved.

Meagan Briggs: Oh man, this one and I didn't grab the cover. It's called The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. is a. Full cast audio narration, which is rare to find. There's probably 10 narrators on this book. It's phenomenally done. is her debut book, which blows my mind. It's told through letters and emails. The entire book is letters and emails.

So if that's kind of your jam, I love that. It reminds me of, um, the Sey, uh, potato Peel Society. There's like.

Monica Packer: there's a million words in that title.

Meagan Briggs: title. Did I say it right? But you know

what I'm saying?

Monica Packer: think you got it. Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: But it's about a woman who receives a letter from somebody from her past and it, she's in her seventies, late seventies, and it just unearths a lot of unresolved things in her life.

And so she has been writing letters to figures, musicians. Random people. She's always been writing letters. And so she has all of these great connections in her life and continues to write letters and it is incredible. I can't stop recommending it. Um, it's one of those books that make you realize that everyone is doing their best

Monica Packer: Yeah. Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: and everyone's living life the first time, you know? And that we're all just trying to. Just do it and be happy and uh, yeah, it's a tear jerker for sure. But yeah, the correspondent loved it so much. Recommend

Monica Packer: Well, as soon as we get off, I'm gonna be putting some books on hold now, and I want to Well, you're doing an amazing job and I want to make sure we talk about your freebie, which is another way for them to get some good recommendations. So what you have for us. Is Meagan's book club's current top reads? Um, so tell us a little bit about what they'll get.

Meagan Briggs: Oh my goodness. It's impossible to make a top reads for anyone at any time. I'll just say that there are so many great books out in the world, but I'm hoping that my list, there's 35 on the list, which is wild. could have been a hundred, but we kept it to 35 that hopefully it just gets you going and has good momentum because like any habit that we make. The momentum is what

you wanna ride. And so once you kind of get going, hopefully these books will keep you, oh, what's next on the list? What's next on the list? And that momentum will keep you going for as long as you want. So yeah, it's a great list of books, a lot of new ones, some old ones. And um, if you like books, especially with a lot of heart, of human just experiences, this is the list for sure.

Monica Packer: Um, what I love about this too is. It's not like worn peace and you know, things like that where you're like, oh, I can only be a reader if I'm reading extremely serious classics. Like it's, it's more recent stuff too that I think is gonna be really great. Um, so thank you so much for that.

Where else should they go if they want to learn more from you and connect with you?

Meagan Briggs: this is so fun. So my Instagram is Meagan's book club and I actually just started a podcast this year, which I've. Been wanting to do for probably five years. It was so scary though, one of those things

Monica Packer: intimidating.

Meagan Briggs: I second guessed and I regret not doing it earlier, so it's the same over there. Meagan's Book Club podcast, and didn't think I would be doing a two a week podcast, but it's been rolling for six months now.

I have an author interview every Tuesday, and then I do my own little personal thing on Thursdays and it's so fun. I don't know when this all is going to come out, but my next episode is going to actually feature my husband

Monica Packer: Oh yeah.

Meagan Briggs: and this can be a little a moment for the men who read in our lives, but he was always a nonfiction finance book guy and he would read one a year and never really gave attention to fiction.

And I told him, this can be more fun, you know?

Monica Packer: Yeah.

Meagan Briggs: You can read for fun, and I told him, Hey, we can pick books for you here, or you can pick your own, but I would love for you to read more fiction in your life where it is an escape. It's not. You know, what's our Roth IRA like and reading, which is important too, but like, let's have some fun.

And so he's actually gonna come on the podcast and talk about the last 10 books he is read and

Monica Packer: I love it, so great.

Meagan Briggs: it. It's so cute. And yeah, it's fun to now share. He doesn't read nearly as much as me because, you know, he does. Work full time. But, um, to share that hobby a little bit is, it has been so fun.

Monica Packer: I can't wait to listen to that and we'll make sure we link to the podcast so they can go and find it. I, I'm sure it'll be a recent episode as of, um, them hearing this interview. So let's end with our final question. What is one way you are currently seeking for more out of your life?

Meagan Briggs: Oh man, this question made me sit, it's powerful and I think. The things that, for me, especially in the book world, is that I seek for just how can I feel fulfilled and have the balance where I am creating the space for the things that I really want and that aren't taking away or overshadowing, but to make myself feel alive again

Monica Packer: Hm.

Meagan Briggs: and. I think motherhood is so beautiful and it's hard, there are seasons where you're gonna be flying through your hobbies or your reading or this or that, and all the projects under the sun, and then there's gonna be seasons where you can't, it's hard to feel that enriching power of life and to not overlook all of these small opportunities to really feel. Fulfilled and enriched, and I think surrounding yourself with people online or not, that are seeking those same things too, I think is one of the best things of sharing the highs and the lows and, and wanting to feel that. is beautiful and we can make time for ourselves to find those things that really help us.

'cause I think once we do that, we're better in every place.

Monica Packer: There's no better note to end on. Thank you so much, Meagan. That was such a validating thing to hear for this. It's almost like the capstone to the whole conference. Honestly, like that's it. That's why we're here. Thank.

Meagan Briggs: End. There we go.

Monica Packer: And yes. There we go. Well, Meagan, thank you again for joining us in the conference. It was truly an honor to have you and I can't wait for people to learn more from you, to connect with you and to get that top reads list.

They need that.

Meagan Briggs: You want it? Thanks.