Chelsey's August 2025 Reads | 12 Books
Every month when I share the books I read that month, I get a desire to mix up how I share them, so here is this month’s: least favorite to favorite. I read only 12 books this month, which is a lower number for me. I really thought I would read more because I had a lot of free time on my hands after my surgery, but it turned out my brain was struggling to concentrate on reading.
The 12 books I read this month bring my total for the year to 110 books. At this rate, I’ll have read about 165 books by the end of the year, which would be the most books I’ve read since 2021 when I read 198 books. I’m still riding that high, and I don’t know if I’ll ever read that many books in a year, but 165 doesn’t feel like a failure.
In August I read 3 fiction books, 3 spiritual books, and 6 nonfiction books. Two of my books were 3-star reads, so they will be up first. The majority were 4-star reads, but three of them (one in each category! I didn’t plan that) were 5 star reads.
#12
Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butchers
This was a recommendation from someone I had just met after we started talking about books we had recently read. I was somewhat nervous because it was about a wizard, and fantasy is not usually my jam, but the wizard lives in the real world and is a private investigator of sorts. While I enjoyed the premise, this was a very *adult* book in a way that I did not enjoy. I also did not like the vibe of the main character. There were parts that were supposed to be funny but it just didn’t appeal to my sense of humor.
#11
Wiser With Jesus: Overcoming the Temptations that Hinder Your Relationships, Steal Your Time, Mar Your Decision-Making and Thwart Your Purpose by Zack Eswine
My good friend and I talked through half of this book together until the summer took over. (For the record, Anna, I am willing to finish talking through it if you want to!) I was excited about this book because I have enjoyed other books by the author (The Imperfect Pastor and Spurgeon’s Sorrows). Sadly, this one was very hard to read. The author’s style of writing became very flowery and abstract and while I consider myself ✨ pretty good at reading ✨, I sometimes truly didn’t know what he was talking about. I think this book also wins the award for longest subtitle ever.
#10
Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body by Michael Matthews
This was one of my post-surgery reads. I heard about this author from someone I really respect and as I look forward to being able to exercise again, I wanted to read something evidence-based about how to possibly not injure myself again. This book had a ton of good information and assumed the reader knew absolutely nothing about nutrition or exercise. This didn’t bother me—I skimmed those parts. It has an exercise routine that seems reasonable and efficient, and I found the nutrition recommendations in line with what I am already trying to do. In summary, this is a great book if you feel you need more info about these things. For me, it mostly just affirmed that I’ve already got a good plan in place!
#9
The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry by Brian Croft and Ronnie Martin
Brian Croft has written several books about pastors and their families that have ministered to both me and my husband, and we call Ronnie Martin a friend through our relationship to him through Harbor Network, so I knew this book was going to be good. I am not a pastor, of course, but I just ignored the parts that assumed I was. It was still a good book about resisting the cultural calling to be THE MOST PRODUCTIVE PERSON. It also gave me insight into better ways to support my husband.
#8
It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People by Ramani Durvasula
Those who know me well know that narcissism is a topic that fascinates me not only because of my lifelong interest in psychology but also because I have had several experiences in my life with narcissists that have affected me in profound ways. Something I appreciated about this book was the author’s explanation of why she doesn’t have a problem with people who display narcissistic behaviors being labeled as narcissistic. Being able to name harmful behaviors in another person is one of the first steps to acknowledging reality and potentially getting help. While a lot of the information in this book was not new to me, I would recommend it for anyone who has been in or suspects they may be in a relationship with someone who displays narcissistic behaviors.
#7
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
This was a delightful audiobook to listen to while I was stuck in bed staying off my foot post-surgery. I cross-stitched a ton while listening to it. I have been hit or miss with Pulitzer Prize-adjacent books—sometimes I find them truly amazing and sometimes they are just too weird for me. I understand why this one was a finalist, though. The premise is that some time in the future, the government starts detaining people based on their prediction that the person will commit a crime in the future.
#6
Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming
I went on a bit of a cult deep dive this month and realized I had never actually read a book on Jonestown, although I have watched several documentaries. This is a newer book and was especially interesting because it relied heavily on accounts from Jim Joneses’ son, Stephen Jones, who did not die at Jonestown because he was in a different city. The book examines Jim Joneses’ childhood and early life and it was a fascinating look at what would compel so many people to follow a man literally to death.
#5
Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America's Most Dangerous Cults by Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr
I had never heard of the Word of Faith cult, so at every turn, this book was a shock. What is even more shocking is that this cult still exists in North Carolina. If you are interested in cults, this is a must-read.
#4
The Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings
I am somewhat hesitant to call this another cult book, but honestly, it’s not the wrong word. While I am sure that some of the people who the author interacted with throughout this story were actually believers in Jesus, the ones who perpetrated harm against her and others were not following Scripture. They had added things on to what God says in his Word and spiritualized abuse toward women and children. This book was hard to listen to at times because I have experienced and known friends who have experienced some of the harmful teaching in this book. It made me grateful to be in a healthy church with a husband who truly loves and cherishes me.
#3
Stump Kingdom (Isaiah 6-12) by Dale Ralph Davis
Anything by Dale Ralph Davis will always be a five star read for me. This short book provides exposition on 7 chapters in Isaiah, and as usual, it not only gives deeper insight into God’s Word but is also profoundly encouraging.
#2
A Light on the Hill: The Surprising Story of How a Local Church in the Nation's Capital Influenced Evangelicalism by Caleb Morrell
This was the surprise 5-star read of the month. Christian read this book over vacation in July and kept reading me parts of it, so I wanted to read the whole thing for myself. It is the story of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, which is currently pastored by Mark Dever. This book is the story of how the church began and what has happened over the last almost 150 years. While it might not sound like the most thrilling book, as a pastor’s wife, I found it so encouraging. The church had so many struggles that are the same kinds of struggles ever church faces. And yet it is also a picture of God’s faithfulness. (Fun fact: In 2022 Christian and I went to Washington DC for an anniversary trip and got to attend Capitol Hill Baptist on a Sunday morning!)
#1
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
I have read some of the author’s previous books and enjoyed them, but I felt like they were overhyped. Other people seemed to enjoy them much more than I did. But this one hit all of my boxes. It is the story of a group of seemingly random people who are pulled together after one of them realizes they all have the same father, who serially abandons his children and moves on to a totally new family. It was laugh-out-loud funny and was full of unexpected surprises.
That’s it for this month! I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these as well as what you read in August.