rewrite this title 5 Books I Finished Recently

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 11, 2025  |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

If you saw my post on my goals for 2025, you’ll know that I’m doing monthly goals instead of yearly goals this year. So I didn’t set an overall reading goal for 2025, but I am planning to set monthly goals.

Each month, I plan to share reviews on the books I finished the month before since many of you have begged for me to bring back my book posts here on the blog. I’ll also be sharing more about what I’m reading in real-time over on Instagram stories, on the podcast, and in my personal email newsletter.

Here are the 5 books I finished recently:

The 5 Books I Finished Recently

Underestimated: The Surprisingly Simple Shift to Quit Playing Small, Name the Fear, and Move Forward Anyway — If you struggle with fear or with follow through, if you feel insecure or that you don’t have what it takes, this book will be the shot in the arm you need! If you want a taste of what the book is about, be sure to listen to my interview with Mary Marantz on the podcast.

The House of My Mother — I’m not even really sure what to say about this book. I read this after watching the Ruby Franke documentary. It’s a bit of “fluffy” writing in parts, but it was heartbreaking to read and also insightful as a parent — especially one who shares some details about our kids online — to help me be really thoughtful about what I post online and also how it can impact my relationship I have with my kids. (Please note that it has some references to predatory behavior as well as child abuse. Some of the content could be triggering.)

Dinner for Vampires — My sister highly recommended this one. I listened to it and it was very well narrated. It was raw and gritty and had lots of language in it, but it is really well narrated and it is a fascinating and sad story — but also a story with redemption and hope mixed in. (Please note that it has a lot of coarse language and discusses cults in depth and church abuse. Some of the content could be very triggering. It is not something you want to listen to with little ears around.)

God, What Do I Do? — This is a Bible Study on Judges 1-5 and I learned a lot about some Bible stories and characters that I hadn’t studied in-depth before. I did a podcast interview with the author and that will be releasing later this summer! Stay tuned.

Jewel of Heaven — This is the story of a mom who gives birth to a daughter given a fatal diagnosis and how it utterly wrecked her… but then how God used it to completely change her life. And then the miraculous journey she’s been on with her daughter. It really helped me to have a better understanding of mamas who You will not want to miss the episode I recorded with her sharing her story that will launch later this summer!

For those who ask when I read: I always have a few books going at once and I usually read a chapter or two of a Christian inspiration book + a business book every morning. Then, my goal is to read a fiction/story-driven book for at least 15 minutes at night.

What books have you finished recently? I’d love to hear!

Want to know 25 of my favorite books ever? Need some motivation to read this summer? Download my free Summer Reading Challenge and I’ll send you a list of 25 Books You Should Read This Summer!