In the Stacks: The best and the next: 2026 midyear staff picks

July means that we’re halfway through the year, so naturally it’s time to start planning for the holidays and deciding on the best books of 2026.

OK, I may be rushing things a bit, but here are a few librarian favorites for the first half of the year. And, it’s not too late to register for the library’s summer reading program for grown-ups. This summer’s theme is Sail Into Summer. Adults who submit two brief book reviews are eligible to win a prize – double winning! For more information, reach out to the Reference Desk before Aug. 3.

I always feel a pang of guilt when choosing a favorite book. I haven’t read them all, so is it fair? With the constraints of only-so-much-time-in-the-day-to-read noted, there are two fiction titles that stand out for me so far this year. The first is “Good People” by Patmeena Sabit. The author does a masterful job of keeping the reader off balance. As soon as I thought I knew what had happened, I met another character and learned their point of view.

My second recommendation is “Land” by Maggie O’Farrell. It is a story of Ireland in the 1860s but really, it is so much more. Her writing is gorgeous, descriptive and romantic. Maybe youread the also wonderful “Hamnet” but, while you’re waiting on one of those titles, try her memoir, “I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death.” With a title like that you might expect it to be morbid, but it isn’t; through writing about death, O’Farrell affirms life. 

Alli Palmgren recommends “Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke. Is it historical fiction, social commentary, or a thriller? Who knows, and who cares. All I know is that this book is unputdownable.

“Skate It Till You Make It” by Rufaro Faith Mazarura is another favorite this year.

I have so much love for this unique take on the oh-so-hot genre of hockey romance. Instead of following the typical hockey dudes, our romantic lead is the captain of Great Britain’s women’s ice hockey team. The romance is sweet and steamy, but the non-romantic relationships described in this book add equally to the story. Her characters seem like real people you would like to know. 

Jackie DeGrace recommends “Kin” by Tayari Jones, as it’s “a character-driven novel about two best friends coming of age in the Jim Crow South. Jones excels at dialogue – you really get to know the characters, and there is a strong sense of time and place.”

I’m also recommending “Heart the Lover” by Lily King. This is a follow-up to her popular novel, “Writers & Lovers.” This story explores the intensity of first love and how the choices we make follow us throughout our lives. The writing is voice-driven and intimate, and the emotions are intense. 

Madeleine Mullin recommends “John of John” by Douglas Stuart: A tale of family secrets spanning multiple generations set on the brooding Isle of Harris in the Hebrides. 

Next for us: 

• “The Ending Writes Itself” by Evelyn Clarke.  
• “The Night We Met” by Abby Jimenez.
• “June Baby” by Shannon Garvey.
• “Heather” by Caitlin Mullen.
• “Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution” by Brooke Barbier.
• “Lightning Beneath the Sea: The race to wire the world and the dawn of the information age” by James Tabor.
• “Summer of Love” by Kerri Maher.