Megan's Monday Motivation
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Monday, 9/15/25: Talking about reading lists and other content I’m loving right now

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter.

Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday and some positive thoughts to get your week started.

Three Steps to a Happier Monday

Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.  

Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend? 

Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?

Step 3: What is my intention for this week? 

GRATITUDE: From my weekend, I am thankful for rest, help from Matt’s family and the joy of starting a new book!  

TODAY: Today, I’m most excited for an appointment I have this afternoon.

INTENTION: My intention this week is to stay focused on my to-do list of the day.

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Meaningful Musings: Summer & Fall Reading Lists

Reading is one of the most simplest, reliable joys in my life. 

One of the ways I’ve been thinking about reading lately is not just as something I do when I have time, but as a hobby worth cultivating. Like any hobby, it takes a little intentionality – choosing what to read, setting aside the time and continually reflecting on what’s working / what’s not.

This summer, I experimented with making myself a “syllabus-style” reading list. It was filled with beach reads, family dramas and page-turning mysteries. I loved having a list that kept me from decision fatigue – I always knew what I was reading next! It felt like I was leaning into reading as a practice, not just a pastime.

So, as the season winds down, I thought it would be fun to share a little roundup of what I read this summer – and what I’m looking forward to reading this fall. 

Books I Read This Summer 

Asterisks next to books I really loved. Save this list for your summer reading next year!

  • This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune: A heartfelt, romantic novel about love, friendship and second chances.
  • First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston: A twisty thriller about a con artist whose past threatens to catch up with her.
  • Broken Country** by Clare Leslie Hall: A powerful, nonlinear novel about memory, family and lost love.
  • Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey: A breezy summer read about unexpected friendships, secrets and starting over.
  • One Golden Summer** by Carley Fortune: A beach read about summer romance and finding yourself.
  • The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand: A quintessential Elin-Nantucket tale about estranged identical twin sisters swapping lives.
  • Park Avenue** by Renée Ahdieh: A sharp, fast-paced novel of New York wealth, ambition and hidden family secrets.
  • Great Big Beautiful Life** by Emily Henry: A moving story about two competing journalists tasked with writing the biography of a reclusive former media heiress.
  • Mansion Beach by Jennifer Moorman: A beach read about romance and family entanglements set on Rhode Island’s shores.
  • Sandwich by Catherine Newman: A heartwarming story about a summer vacation, middle age and the messy bonds of family.
  • The Rumor** by Elin Hilderbrand: Gossip, secrets and scandal swirl around a Nantucket community.
  • Blue Bistro** by Elin Hilderbrand: A restaurant-set romance about love, ambition and the beauty (and heartbreak) of summer on Nantucket.
  • Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes: A witty novel of social climbing, rivalries and reinvention in the English countryside.

Standout Favorites

Some books are good, but some you just can’t stop thinking about. For me this summer, those were One Golden Summer and Broken Country.

I also really loved Park Avenue, Great Big Beautiful Life and – of course – anything by Elin Hilderbrand, the queen of the Nantucket summer novel. A couple of hers on the above list were actually re-reads for me because I was just craving her storytelling!

Favorite Reading Memory From Summer 

It has to be reading One Golden Summer over Fourth of July week. I had just wrapped up a stressful, intense stretch at work, and it was the perfect reset: long stretches of downtime, being outside and getting lost in a great book.

Fall Reading List 

Heading into fall, I usually find myself gravitating toward cozier books – mysteries, anything academia related, longer family dramas.

Fall is a shorter season than summer, so my reading list reflects that (plus… who knows what reading will look like once the baby is here!). Even with a shorter list this fall, I’m hopeful that having books I’m genuinely excited about will motivate me to reach for a novel when I can. Here’s what I’m excited to read this season: 

And finally… Some Other (Non-Book) Content I’m Loving 

  • Blog post: Loved reading thispost – What Books Do You Love Reading in the Fall? – to get inspiration for my fall reading list.
  • A new-to-me substack that I’m obsessed with: The Seasonalist. Reflections on seasonal living and intentional routines… this is right up my alley!!
  • Have you watched The Gilded Age on HBO? I finished the most recent season and then went back to watch Season 1 again – that’s how much I loved it! I will say: I think Season 1 is a slow build, but Seasons 2 and 3 really hit their stride. A perfect cozy show for fall evenings.

What about you – what have you read or watched recently, or what’s on your fall reading list?

Picture of the Week

(September 14, 2025)
Ahhh! Starting to pack the hospital bag. Can’t believe it!

That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this!

Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan

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