https://bookishbeck.com/2026/06/30/the-best-books-from-the-first-half-of-2026/Bookish Becken2026-06-30T11:26:23+00:00The Best Books from the First Half of 2026poetry, short stories, graphic novels, Mark Haddon, Francis Spufford, Barbara Yelin, Ann Patchett, historical fiction, Siri Hustvedt, bereavement memoirs, fantasy, Sylvia Plath, flash fiction, prison, Lauren Groff, cancer, Holocaust, Italy, horses, Dominican Republic, superlatives, alternative history, Douglas Stuart, drowning, Isle of Harris, Rachel Beanland, Beth Ann Fennelly, Dani Netherclift, Julia Alvarez, Emily Haworth-Booth, Catherine Redford, Helen Bain, Nick Martino