Five picks for July

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding by Lian Dolan (contemporary fiction) – This delightful and charming novel tackles the popular wedding storyline from a completely fresh perspective. The stars of this tale are the two mothers – the mother of the bride (MOB) Greek-born Alexa Diamandis, a single mother and travel planner, and the mother of the groom (MOG), Abigail Blakeman, an old-money member of the Daughters of the Revolution who resides in Connecticut. When Penelope and Chase announce their engagement, neither mother is excited for the pending nuptials. What ensues is an often funny and touching romp about two women who overcome their differences and some of their own personal issues while planning an amazing wedding with their adult children. Interspersed throughout the novel is an advice column by Aunt B to “Dearly Beloved and Betrotheds” which hilariously pokes fun at how weddings bring out the crazy in people. Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding will appeal to fans of light-hearted stories and standout characters; it is a true joy from beginning to end.

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (family drama, mystery) – A family’s world is upended after their car swerves, causing an accident that results in the death of two elderly people in an oncoming car. Oldest child Charlie was in the driver’s seat and grabbed the wheel right before the wreck, but the car was self-driving with AI technology. Who exactly is at fault? This engrossing novel explores culpability in the age of technology, and as AI becomes more prevalent, what our role is as humans in a world dominated by machines. Against the backdrop of technology, Holsinger also explores family dynamics, grief, secrets, and parenting. I have not stopped thinking about this page turner since I finished it; it is a must-read that is both timely and chilling. Culpability is for fans of thought-provoking premises, cutting-edge stories, and family dramas.

Far and Away by Amy Poeppel (contemporary fiction) – When Lucy’s teenage son, Jack, makes a mistake he can’t fix, and Greta’s husband takes a job in Texas without telling her, the solution seems obvious: The two families will swap houses for a while. Lucy’s family moves to Berlin, and Greta and her crew relocate to Dallas. But unfortunately, trading houses doesn’t completely provide the escape either family wants. What results is an engaging, funny, and heartwarming story about the family we are born with and the family we make as our own. Frequently humorous, Far and Away addresses friendship, social media, culture clash, marriage, parenting, and more, resulting in a heartfelt and heartwarming tale. This will be a great fit for those who enjoy engaging tales with humor and heart.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (mystery) – In What Kind of Paradise, Janelle Brown evocatively wrestles with the effects of progress, technology, and power through the lens of a fierce and lonely girl and her paranoid and extremist father. Jane has spent her entire life in rural Montana living off the grid with her father. He is evasive about their past, claiming only that her mother died in a car crash that led them to move to Montana. He educates Jane with 19th-century philosophical works and leaves her regularly for week-long jaunts. When she accompanies him on a trip that ends in murder, she realizes that nothing is as she believed it to be. This gorgeously told story captivated me from page one. Brown brings to life the early days of the internet with vivid detail, creating such a tense experience for the reader who understands how drastically different things are today from how early internet pioneers wanted or expected them to be. This haunting page turner explores right and wrong, extremism, technology, and family; it will stay with me for a long time. This book is for fans of stories about current events and technology and for those who love beautiful writing.

The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy (fiction/thriller) – This hilarious and irreverent novel stars Rikki Thunder, a member of Whyte Python, a heavy metal band who is recruited by the CIA in the late 1980s to go behind the Iron Curtain and help spark a revolution through the power of rock. While this might sound like a strange premise, it is loosely inspired by allegedly true events. The Whyte Python World Tour is one of the most entertaining books that I have read this year. Rikki Thunder is a gem: naïve, unintentionally humorous, and a fabulous narrator. Kennedy weaves humor, heart, history, music, travel, and so much fun into this page turner. It is one of my top reads of 2025. This one will appeal to fans of creative stories, 1980s nostalgia, genre mashups, and laugh-out-loud stories.

Editor’s note: Book reviewer Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column. She hosts an award-winning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page Podcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfrompage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.