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hushupimreading.bsky.social

@hushupimreading.bsky.social
92 followers 258 following 488 posts

Harshly realistic. Another bookish twitter refugee. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is a bargain £1.19 on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0j6AHvYn
link.amazon
Lincoln in the Bardo: WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017
Lincoln in the Bardo: WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017 eBook : Saunders, George: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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THE NERVE @thenerve.news · 10/10/2026
Interview with the Bard of Salford aka the great John Cooper Clarke. “The defining nature of art is its uselessness. As soon as it becomes useful, it's something else” @johncooperclarke.bsky.social Q&A by Ursula Kenny www.thenerve.news/p/john-coope...


The Nerve Q&A: John Cooper Clarke, pictured looking downcast in a hat, red patterned scarf and sunglasses: ‘I could go to six funerals a week. But no man can live on vol au vents alone’
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Anti-Reform @antireform.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
via Andy Bray
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Orenda Books @orendabooks.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
An explosion rocks Riverstone. Three people are dead. A suspect is arrested. Case closed? Not according to the Nancys…🔎 #TheNancysAndTheSecretOfTulipFarm by #RWRMcDonald🌷 OUT NOW! 🔗https://geni.us/QiuBdF #Mystery
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
So looking forward to another Nancy's adventure!
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
How many times have I walked past this gate without noticing its goth credentials? 💀🕸
A slightly rusty gate in the shape of a skull
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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Shhh go quietly... a little Hedgehog is rustling through your feed. 🥹
A small Hedgehog nestles among a blanket of crisp autumn leaves, peering out with a gentle, curious expression as though happily exploring the woodland floor. Warm golden tones surround its tiny face and spiky coat, creating an irresistibly cosy autumn scene.
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Not read it yet, so count me in 😀
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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
FUCK IT. Let's give away 3 more signed paperbacks of my latest novel, each with fab linoprint bookmarks, made by my mum Jo. Repost & reply to enter! You might like it if you like: Folkloric creatures Old records Intricate psychedelic stories The idea of circular time All shares much-appreciated!
My latest novel Everything Will Swallow You, next to the sea, where some of it takes place.
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
bbc.co.uk
How a 1940s US experiment tried, and failed, to create a 'super dog'
In post-WWII Maine, a group of scientists built the School for Dogs, a massive facility to breed a "super-dog". Things didn't go as planned.
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The Witch by Marie NDiaye is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B00oEPimI
link.amazon
The Witch: Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026
The Witch: Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026 eBook : NDiaye, Marie: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
When There Are Wolves Again by @catamaroon.bsky.social is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B02ln163N
link.amazon
When There Are Wolves Again: WINNER of the 2026 Arthur C. Clarke Award eBook : Swift, E. J.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
When There Are Wolves Again: WINNER of the 2026 Arthur C. Clarke Award eBook : Swift, E. J.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0cXekCqb
link.amazon
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry: by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry: by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow eBook : Zevin, Gabrielle: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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Orenda Books @orendabooks.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
🌷MEET THE NANCYS🌷 Which Nancy are you?🤔 Follow #TheNancys in their latest adventure in #TheNancysAndTheSecretOfTulipFarm by @rwrmcdonald, OUT THIS THURSDAY!❤️ PREORDER NOW!👇️ 🔗https://geni.us/QiuBdF #NancyDrew #Mystery #NewZealand
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Glennyrodge @glennyrodge.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I’ve built a time machine which needs a little tweaking because so far only Minchin, Burton and Robbins have come out of it.
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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
the only map of england everybody else needs (best selling music by territory, Actually Helpful for understanding some things; also Suck It Morrissey.)
map of england where every county is lableled by their best selling band
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
On National Poetry Day, here’s a short poem about the power of poetry to change the world.
The Power of Poetry
 
with things falling apart
and anarchy let loose,
 
it was only poetry, he found,
which had any use,
 
so he reached for his copy  
of The Complete Works of Yeats
 
and bludgeoned the President
of the United States


Brian Bilston
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Everything Under by Daisy Johnson is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B05hw4Uwm
link.amazon
Amazon.co.uk
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Discontent by Beatriz Serrano is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #booksky link.amazon/B05PS0B8C
link.amazon
Amazon.co.uk
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The Runner by Scarlett Thomas is a bargain £1.99 on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B01rAbd9x
link.amazon
The Runner: The mind-expanding new thriller from the bestselling author of The Sleepwalkers
The Runner: The mind-expanding new thriller from the bestselling author of The Sleepwalkers eBook : Thomas, Scarlett: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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stefan @stefanthinks.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
fishing is just slot machines for outdoor people
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Mike Parker @mikeparker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Until Sunday 27th, it's 20% off pre-orders @bookshop.org of my new book, Mid Land: a journey into England's heart. Pre-orders massively help a book, and it's worth getting the hardback, as photos & printing will be so much better in that. Please pass on! Ta. Offer: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/mid-...
Promo for 20% off at bookshop.org, who supply through the network of local independent bookshops, for the forthcoming book by Mike Parker, entitled Mid Land: A journey into England's heart. It's a good one, even if he does say so himself.
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Family Friends by @chloeashby.bsky.social is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0j1SNTcS
link.amazon
Family Friends: The Happy Place Book Club pick, a summer holiday must-read
Family Friends: The Happy Place Book Club pick, a summer holiday must-read eBook : Ashby, Chloë: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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Marcus Chown @marcuschown.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Every year, HMRC, by its own estimates, fails to collect 46.8 billion of tax. See webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/202606... How about hiring more people to retrieve this avoided tax before suggesting funding defence by cutting welfare to the poorest and most vulnerable? Just saying.
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Postcard From The Past @pastpostcard.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Blew a hose in a traffic jam on the way down.
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Autumn poem just dropped.
[The poem has been written in the shape of a deciduous tree with letters (or ‘leaves’) missing from the text]:
 
  comm   n pr  ble    whe    writin    p   ems
in the shape of decid o   s trees
is t  at once t   ere ar   ives
the fir   t sti   rings of    he new aut   mn breeze,  
  he       oems will begi    to shake    hemselves ge   tly  
  ntil their letters loos   n like leaves,
an they d start to float down
then
 
[The missing letters from the tree have landed on the last line to form the phrase]

turntomushuponthegroun

[The final ‘d’ is floating down to complete the phrase.]
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Time to Burn by Ellery Lloyd is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B04gia5RT
link.amazon
Time to Burn: The Enthralling, High-Concept Novel From The Bestselling Author Of Reese Witherspoon Bookclub Pick, The Club eBook : Lloyd, Ellery: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Time to Burn: The Enthralling, High-Concept Novel From The Bestselling Author Of Reese Witherspoon Bookclub Pick, The Club eBook : Lloyd, Ellery: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
All Them Dogs by Djamel White is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0hOEuAgO
link.amazon
All Them Dogs: LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2026
All Them Dogs: LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2026 eBook : White, Djamel: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Afternoon womble, I'm reading Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan - so far it's a lot of fun
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Strip Tease by @carlhiaasen.com is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0b9iPWFb
link.amazon
Strip Tease eBook : Hiaasen, Carl: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Strip Tease eBook : Hiaasen, Carl: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Show your support by making a donation #RNLI RNLI reports ‘significant’ donations boost after being targeted by far right over small boats www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
RNLI reports ‘significant’ donations boost after being targeted by far right over small boats
Charity condemns ‘disgraceful’ intimidation and insists it will continue core purpose of saving lives at sea
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 09/09/2026
Astrophotographer Adam (AJ) Smadi caught this image a few hours ago from Washington state. A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface. And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).
A crescent Moon seen during the day, arcing from upper left to lower right of the frame. At lower centre is the full disk of Jupiter; the small dots to its upper left and lower right and Io and Ganymede, respectively.
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here’s a poem about one of my cat’s poems. It’s called “On ‘,,,;;pppppp’[[[[[[[[[[[[;’;////////////////////////3,’”.
On ‘,,,;;pppppp’[[[[[[[[[[[[;’;////////////////////////3,’
 
Upon returning to my desk,
having left it temporarily in search of biscuits,
I discovered my cat had written
another poem on my laptop.
 
It was called ‘,,,;;pppppp’[[[[[[[[[[[[;’;////////////////////////3,’
and while it constituted one of her more difficult pieces,
it was also the kind of poem
which rewarded repeat reading.
 
I was struck by its experimental structure,
the absence of line breaks;
indeed, not one single space
between any of the poem’s 10,000 or so characters.
One of the work’s central motifs –
‘jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk’ –
was, by turns, reassuring and unsettling,
while the symbolism of ‘###################’,
 
hinted at our 21st century preoccupation with social media.
And yes, there were perhaps a few elements
which did not work: twelve whole pages
containing just the number 7 seemed a little excessive,
 
while her introduction of the character T
was not altogether convincing. But who could not be moved
by that devastating final line, its message of hope
piercing our hearts like an arrow: 333333333333333,,,


Brian Bilston
 
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0gP1ad74
link.amazon
Sophie's World: The bestselling novel that brings the history of philosophy to life through a captivating coming-of-age adventure
Sophie's World: The bestselling novel that brings the history of philosophy to life through a captivating coming-of-age adventure eBook : Gaarder, Jostein: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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Big Green Books @biggreenbooks.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
THIS IS V EXCITING! "Wayfarers", the new book by @levparikian.bsky.social is out next April. And Lev has very kindly agreed to SIGN & PERSONALLY DEDICATE any copies ordered from us. Worldwide postage available. Get your orders in now! HERE. www.biggreenbookshop.com/signed-copie...
The cover of Lev's new book. 
It's predominantly blue and has wavy lines over it suggesting movement. 

There are whales, penguins, insects, birds, deer (I think) and other animals represented on the cover too.
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Today’s poem is called ‘Poem, Revised Draft’.
Poem, Revised Draft
 
I had to write this poem again.
I left the first draft on the train
and now it doesn't look the same.

The original was a paean to Love,
to Truth and Beauty; it soared above
the everyday and all that stuff.

It would have healed estranged lovers' rifts,
stilled the sands on which time shifts
and stopped the world before it drifts

further into quagmired crisis.
It was an open heart. It wore disguises.
It employed ingenious literary devices.

I have tried my hardest to recall
its words and rhythms, the rise and fall
of those lines upon their cadenced crawl

through the English language.
But it has only caused me pain and anguish
for there was little I could salvage.

It certainly didn't end with a line like this.
 

Brian Bilston
 
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Paul Bassett Davies @thewritertype.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
It's a sad reflection on standards in British public life that when a dodgy crypto billionaire wants to buy a politician the best he can get for his money is a third rate grifter like Nigel Farage.
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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
My latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com
Hercule Poirot dressed all in black speaks to Captain Hastings in a grand hallway “Please ask the suspects to gather in the library, Hastings: I wish to reveal that our births are random, our lives meaningless, and our deaths absurd.”

Caption “Having investigated so many awful murders over the years, it was perhaps unsurprising that Hercule Poirot turned to Existentialism”


p.s. Poirot had presumably been reading a lot of Sartre recently…

 "It is meaningless that we live and it is meaningless that we die," Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness (L'Être et le Néant)

“Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.” Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea (La Nausée)
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Today’s poem is called ‘You Can’t Judge a Book’.
You Can’t Judge a Book
 
you can’t judge a book
by its cover

but neither can
you cover a judge
with a book

unless the book
is a foldy-out one
with a map or something


Brian Bilston
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The Breath of the Gods by Simon Winchester is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0i7MWVi9
link.amazon
The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind eBook : Winchester, Simon: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind eBook : Winchester, Simon: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0hHR4cAf
link.amazon
The Versions of Us: The Number One bestseller eBook : Barnett, Laura: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
The Versions of Us: The Number One bestseller eBook : Barnett, Laura: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Today’s offering is an attempt to write a poem in real time while on a train journey.
Scenes from a Train Window
 
A pylon looms like a sini-
Two birds puncture the late afternoon blue as th-
Cows stare into the distance and wonde-
Fields sleep drowsily, waiting for-
Buddleia bubbles up along the tr-
A woman waves at her youn-
Some buildings.
Graffiti.
Wolverhampton Railway Station.
 

Brian Bilston
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Fucketyfucketyfuckfuckfuck´ by Annie Taylor from PEG - the Profanity Embroidery Group, Whitstable, UK, known for their stitching and swearing #WomensArt #FridayFeeling
Embroidery featuring two perched cute  blue birds among pink flowers surrounded by the embroidered text of the title
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Show your support by making a donation - I just did #RNLI 🌊
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Today’s poem is called ‘Busman’s Holiday’.
Busman’s Holiday


I had always wanted to go 
on a busman’s holiday
so I saved up for ten years

and then five holidays
came along at once.


Brian Bilston
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Today’s poem is called ‘Love Excels’.
[image description: a poem embedded in an Excel spreadsheet with the words contained within individual cells. Line 3 has words in a single merged cell. Line 4 has text wrapping applied. Line 8 has filters applied to each word]

Love Excels

Let’s spread ourselves on sheets of love
and turn our data into poetry.
Our cells shall merge themselves together
As you wrap your text around me.

Our sum is greater than our parts,
let’s crunch our figures without compunction.
Remove this filter from my heart –
you give me form and function.

We shall frolic among the formulae,
pivot our tables now and often.
I will total all your rows
and you can add my column.

Brian Bilston
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Glennyrodge @glennyrodge.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Arse would be a great name for an Elbow tribute band.
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Today’s poem is called ‘The Grammar Police’.
Today’s poem is called ‘The Grammar Police’.
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Girl on Girl by @sophiegilbert.bsky.social is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky link.amazon/B0dVnA5YK
link.amazon
Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves
Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves eBook : Gilbert, Sophie: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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hushupimreading.bsky.social @hushupimreading.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Is it wrong that I read that to the tune of Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves?
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