{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - Matthew Hurst","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/matthewhurst","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"1711536","username":"matthewhurst","bio":"Writer of various things, including reassuringly dark, twisted comedy.","pronouns":"","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":25,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2025/04/1711536.jpg"},"items":[{"id":"94332621","content_html":"

Quick question. What does ‘the privilege of my life’ actually mean?

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/07/20/quick-question-what-does-the.html","date_published":"2026-07-20T15:13:02+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-07-20 15:13","date_timestamp":1784560382,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116952950540479829","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mr3lgie44s2x"]}},{"id":"94332462","content_html":"

@john-self.bsky.social Maybe her fringe will be take it over entirely.

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@richardj.bsky.social He’s kind of a human LLM. Reliably and confidently wrong about everything.

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@rami.spaceaustralia.com No, I am Binface.

\n

No, I am Binface.

\n

No, I am Binface.

\n

etc

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@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social You’re new here, aren’t you?

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@thesinankose.bsky.social ok

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@thesinankose.bsky.social I hope you don’t use email. Nazis use email too.

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@thesinankose.bsky.social A debate winning point. Well done.

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@thesinankose.bsky.social Oh look, whataboutery. Do I take it you’re conceding the actual point, which is that they’re right to carry the resignation of the leader of parliamentary party?

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@thesinankose.bsky.social It’s no more handing over editorial control than it did when it carried Starmer’s resignation live.

\n

There’s a clear subtext about these complaints. You just object to Farrage getting covered, and adding the BBC into the complaints is just a bonus here.

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@thesinankose.bsky.social If they’d summarised it, you’d be here saying Chris Mason was biassed in his favour. It’s not about the BBC, it’s about wanting to suppress democratic debate.

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@thesinankose.bsky.social I agree that’s a problem. But when a leader of parliamentary party resigns after a massive scandal, and gives a live statement, the national broadcaster can’t not cover it.

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@thesinankose.bsky.social ‘quick question’ 🙄

\n

They’ve run every single speech verbatim and never any one else’s? Really?

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@thesinankose.bsky.social If they didn’t, people would complain whatever summary they broadcast was misrepresenting him.

\n

Surely it’s better to know more than less.

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@thesinankose.bsky.social He’s an elected representative. That trumps your feelings.

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@thesinankose.bsky.social People can make their own judgements now they know it hasn’t been gatekept, can’t they.

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@thesinankose.bsky.social FFS they can’t not report the leader of a parliamentary party resigning his seat.

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Read: Agent Sniper by Tim Tate 📚Real life Zelig-esque Polish spy/defector (and massive fantasist) in the Cold War, clearly written and researched. A good read.#booksky #books #reading

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/07/06/read-agent-sniper-by-tim.html","date_published":"2026-07-06T22:39:50+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-07-06 22:39","date_timestamp":1783377590,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116875434072258492","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mpz5u4px6u23"]}},{"id":"93381762","content_html":"

@philipcball.bsky.social Often the accounts department is still sulking they can’t still do everything on paper…

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@philipcball.bsky.social Harder to tweak, for the audit trails?

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@skepchick.org You might want to rephrase the ‘car crash’ bit?

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Pulp Asylum has just published my latest short story, The Man Who Said Too Much, which features an ice storm, stealing old chairs, and a Russian genius. Read it here: bit.ly/4y6ypBF #crime #thriller #amwriting #writingcommunity #writersky

\n\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/07/01/pulp-asylum-has-just-published.html","date_published":"2026-07-01T16:14:36+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-07-01 16:14","date_timestamp":1782922476,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116845608647335292","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mplvz3gh5w25"]}},{"id":"93257477","content_html":"

@sturdyalex.bsky.social Why do actors even need scripts, if they do all the character creation?

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@sturdyalex.bsky.social I genuinely have no idea why so many people think actors create characters. They can bring themselves to what’s in the script, but they just don’t create the character out of nothing.

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@sturdyalex.bsky.social The script is more than an ingredient list.

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@sturdyalex.bsky.social When you’re constructing the situation of the comedy, you need conflict from characters who hate what Tom and Barbara are doing. That’s the Jerry and Margo characters. All sitcom characters develop based on performance, but the actors do not create the characters initially.

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@sturdyalex.bsky.social How did she get her voice heard if the character didn’t exist?

\n","url":"https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mpgvf4y3is27","date_published":"2026-06-29T16:20:28+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-29 16:20","date_timestamp":1782750028,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"93257482","content_html":"

@sturdyalex.bsky.social The whole point of that article is that Dahl is recognised as the creator of the character.

\n","url":"https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mpgve3lbe227","date_published":"2026-06-29T16:19:53+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-29 16:19","date_timestamp":1782749993,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"93078569","content_html":"\n

Read: Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum 📚 on audiobook, which came out two years ago. So much of what @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu says about countries run by greedy narcissistic bullies could now be said about the US. #booksky #books #reading

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/06/28/read-autocracy-inc-by-anne.html","date_published":"2026-06-28T16:36:23+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-28 16:36","date_timestamp":1782664583,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116828706888572014","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mpeft2xl6t2y"]}},{"id":"92966323","content_html":"\n

Read: Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark 📚 One of those ‘how autobiographical is this?’ games about a struggling 1940s writer. Snarky and funny and far more tricksy than I expected. #reading #books #booksky

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/06/26/read-loitering-with-intent-by.html","date_published":"2026-06-26T16:22:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-26 16:22","date_timestamp":1782490949,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116817327189528943","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mp7e45ddee2z"]}},{"id":"92293706","content_html":"\n

Read: The Pretender by Jo Harkin 📚Peasant Pretender puppeteered by powerful Plantagenet proponents. Wolf Hall minus the portentousness. #booksky #reading #books

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/06/16/read-the-pretender-by-jo.html","date_published":"2026-06-16T15:15:27+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-16 15:15","date_timestamp":1781622927,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116760440658090301","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mog3pbj6262x"]}},{"id":"91980717","content_html":"\n

Read: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe 📚As in his ‘Say Nothing’, Keefe clearly disentangles a lot of complicated world views and confabulations to illuminate a particular world, though the overarching story isn’t as sharply defined. #reading #books #booksky

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/06/11/read-london-falling-by-patrick.html","date_published":"2026-06-11T16:20:13+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 16:20","date_timestamp":1781194813,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116732384178231690","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mnzmyl5iam2w"]}},{"id":"91826382","content_html":"\n

Read: The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt 📚Cormac McCarthy with a sense of humour and optimism, and also an editor, and all the more likeable for it. #books #reading #booksky

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/06/09/read-the-sisters-brothers-by.html","date_published":"2026-06-09T12:30:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-09 12:30","date_timestamp":1781008200,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116720155076902524","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mnu77gartp2t"]}},{"id":"91656107","content_html":"\n

Read: Last One Out A Novel by Jane Harper 📚Her usual territory: resident returns to Australian small town and insular relationships (often between 3 male friends) which led to a tragedy a few years before. Realistic characters, well observed interactions, but nothing new. #booksky #reading #books

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/06/06/read-last-one-out-a.html","date_published":"2026-06-06T16:31:13+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-06 16:31","date_timestamp":1780763473,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116704116507725364","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mnn3bwjx4v24"]}},{"id":"91394760","content_html":"\n

Read: Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe 📚Fantastically researched especially the bits the TV series smoothed over. You do wonder exactly why Adams hasn’t sued over the allegations it makes about him. #books #booksky #readingcommunity

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/06/02/read-say-nothing-a-true.html","date_published":"2026-06-02T14:30:58+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-02 14:30","date_timestamp":1780410658,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116680993788855646","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mncsowbua32v"]}},{"id":"91278811","content_html":"\n

Read: Pearl by Siân Hughes 📚Hughes is an award winning poet, and it shows, in a good way as her narator writes intensely and immersively about her mother’s death. As someone who felt no cause to grieve my own mother’s death, it was… informative. #books #booksky #readingcommunity

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/05/31/read-pearl-by-sin-hughes.html","date_published":"2026-05-31T18:16:36+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-31 18:16","date_timestamp":1780251396,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116670562081364188","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mn66h5awnw2c"]}},{"id":"90630069","content_html":"\n

Read: Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell 📚Big, detailed, accurate and gruesome. Also a cracking story (though not exactly genre-expanding). Great for immersion… #booksky #books #readingcommunity

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/05/21/read-azincourt-by-bernard-cornwell.html","date_published":"2026-05-21T12:30:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-21 12:30","date_timestamp":1779366600,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116612572054159338","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mmegee4ro62e"]}},{"id":"90480795","content_html":"\n

Read: Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow 📚Freshman outrage at the shock of big companies being unscrupulous about how they make money. Nothing you can’t hear him perform any day of the week for free. #books #booksky #readingcommunity

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/05/19/read-enshittification-why-everything-suddenly.html","date_published":"2026-05-19T12:30:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-19 12:30","date_timestamp":1779193800,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116601248393840946","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mm7fh3hsvn2k"]}},{"id":"90295857","content_html":"

Guardian top 100 novels of all time I’ve read 25/100 and given up on a lot more on the list. Maybe I tried them too young. Also… no Hemingway? And I really don’t think Middlemarch (one of my DNFs) is the best novel of all time. #booksky

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/05/16/guardian-top-novels-of-all.html","date_published":"2026-05-16T14:09:48+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-16 14:09","date_timestamp":1778940588,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116584654174132822"]}},{"id":"90158391","content_html":"\n

Read: Agents of Innocence by David Ignatius 📚Drips realism and apparently the CIA uses it as an exemplar of Middle Eastern espionage. The detail draws you in and the conflicts between ethnicities and sects is tragically still relevant. #booksky #books #readingcommunity

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/05/14/read-agents-of-innocence-by.html","date_published":"2026-05-14T14:12:15+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-14 14:12","date_timestamp":1778767935,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116573336522905184","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mlsys3j2xr2n"]}},{"id":"89665118","content_html":"

People complained that the printing press meant people wouldn't put in the effort to learn things off by heart. matthewhurst.micro.blog

","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/05/05/people-complained-that-the-printing.html","date_published":"2026-05-05T20:08:08+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-05 20:08","date_timestamp":1778011688,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116523781831946533","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3ml4yl7gv4x2o"]}},{"id":"89573709","content_html":"\n

Read: Golden Hill by Francis Spufford 📚Dark smart pastiche of Fielding, Sterne, etc, in late 18th century New York, but there’s more to it than just quality fanfiction. The characters are ludicrously alive and you can smell the horse shit and ambition. #booksky #books #readingcommunity

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/05/04/read-golden-hill-by-francis.html","date_published":"2026-05-04T15:23:08+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-04 15:23","date_timestamp":1777908188,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116516998475472942","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mkzy6kme3x2k"]}},{"id":"88870910","content_html":"\n

Read: The Unwanted Dead by Chris Lloyd 📚 Juicy atmospheric procedural set in Paris just after the Germans marched in during June 1940. Not spies, but feels like Furst, Gerlis, Robert Harris. #booksky #books #readingcommunity

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/04/23/read-the-unwanted-dead-by.html","date_published":"2026-04-23T18:12:14+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-23 18:12","date_timestamp":1776967934,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116455371005762530","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mk6mfla43b2p"]}},{"id":"88863053","content_html":"

Baseball. Invented by BF Skinner: matthewhurst.micro.blog

","summary":"I’ve stumbled into being a sportsfan for the first time in my life, as a 57 year old Brit. Mostly, I’m in it for the incomprehensible commentary.","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/04/23/baseball-invented-by-bf-skinner.html","date_published":"2026-04-23T16:02:06+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-23 16:02","date_timestamp":1776960126,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116454870060025964","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mk6fbpjxwp2r"]}},{"id":"88444581","content_html":"\n

Read: The Pariah by Dan Fesperman 📚Happily facetious palate freshener involving the a murderous Eastern European dictator, metoo’d American comedian, chimney cakes (whatever they are), delicate egos and many violent deaths. #booksky #books

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/04/17/read-the-pariah-by-dan.html","date_published":"2026-04-17T12:58:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-17 12:58","date_timestamp":1776430680,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116420162280832950","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mjoy2jkq2h2s"]}},{"id":"88306942","content_html":"\n

Read: All the Sinners Bleed A Novel by S. A. Cosby 📚Nails the atmosphere of Deep(ish) South small town revenge, tangled up in barely hidden racism, fully developed characters. Solid genre procedural but stands in its own right too. #booksky #books

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/04/15/read-all-the-sinners-bleed.html","date_published":"2026-04-15T14:43:05+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 14:43","date_timestamp":1776264185,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116409250361185856","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mjk4yead522m"]}},{"id":"87409212","content_html":"

My latest ’excursion’ into podcasting is up - an interview with spy writer Michael Dylan about his latest book The New Spy, for @spybrary. Find it where-ever you get your etc. etc. spybrary.com/the-new-s… #booksky #authorsky

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/04/01/my-latest-excursion-into-podcasting.html","date_published":"2026-04-01T18:03:07+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-01 18:03","date_timestamp":1775066587,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116330764247875280","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mihbmw7oaw2s"]}},{"id":"87279648","content_html":"

Trump: I want Iran’s oil

\n

ATTACKS IRAN

\n

Media: Let us ponder why Trump is attacking Iran.

\n

I mean. Come on.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/03/30/trump-i-want-irans-oil.html","date_published":"2026-03-30T20:59:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-30 20:59","date_timestamp":1774904340,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116320132154831532","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mickjyyrjw2o"]}},{"id":"87003488","content_html":"\n

Read: There There by Tommy Orange 📚Most of the book is perceptively drawn scenes of disparate cast in the runup to a powwow in Oakland. When tragic violence explodes there, it’s both the point and beside the point that they’re all native American. #booksky #books

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Read: The Fraud by Zadie Smith 📚Meaty and slightly meandering like the 19th century English novels it pastiches, with a nuanced human take on slavery’s effects rather than performative shouty self righteousness. #booksky #books

\n","summary":"","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/2026/03/22/read-the-fraud-by-zadie.html","date_published":"2026-03-22T15:09:43+00:00","author":{"name":"Matthew Hurst","url":"https://matthewhurst.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F04%2F1711536.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"matthewhurst"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-22 15:09","date_timestamp":1774192183,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@matthewhurst/116273459523053156","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vjfsozh5sxrvum673ym2exfr/post/3mhntbshne52o"]}}]}