All right, everybody. We're here with the sax unabridged. I asked you earlier this year

what kind of episodes you wanted to hear and what I heard overwhelmingly is that you

wanted a middle of the year, best books of the year like we do at the end of the year.

So I have rounded up the bookish troops, my favorite book bullies on the planet, my bookish

people, and we're going to talk about the best books so far of 2023, the things we're

most looking for for the second half of the year, and we're going to give you a backlist

book that we've loved because we love old books around here. So without further ado,

I will introduce my three book bully accomplices starting with Greta Johnson who you all know,

most of the nerd at podcast, friend of the podcast, and my personal human antithesis. Greta,

welcome back. So excited to be here. You know, Tracy, we have agreed on a couple different

books lately. I just want to say that on the record for the public. I know, and I feel weird

about it. It is weird. I think it's exciting. I feel sick. I felt sick ever since. I feel

like I don't want to do this anymore. Don't worry, we want to agree for real. No. That

voice you just heard is Lapita Akino, our dear friend of the pod, Moltre Pete Gas. She's

the reader behind Lupita Reads. She's a book influencer who hates being called a book influencer,

Lupita. Hi. Oh, yes, I do. I do. Why do you hate it? Oh, I don't know because I think

the thing box influencers is such a cringe place, and it's not that I don't want to be

an influencer, but I don't think that what I do specifically would be considered influencing.

And I feel like, yeah, maybe literally, but at the same time, we're just a community

giving each other book recommendations, right? So if you're going to do, if you're going

to call me an influencer, call me an influential reader is what I prefer. Okay. That's very

sweet, but you are an influencer. And I don't care what you say on it. Enjoy it. You are

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