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Mark’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Mark’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Mark Speed’s Followers (85)
7,063 books
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144 friends
6,808 books
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58 friends
5,365 books
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143 friends
5,312 books
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88 friends
64,960 books
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638 friends
383 books
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1,426 friends
206,902 books
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816 friends
611 books
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401 friends
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Mark Speed
Goodreads Author
Born
in Scotland, The United Kingdom
Website
Twitter
Genre
Member Since
August 2013
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/markspeed
More books by Mark Speed…
Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens audio samples
These are the first audio samples from Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
http://markspeed.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DH1-01.mp3 http://markspeed.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DH1-02.mp3 http://markspeed.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DH1-03.mp3 Read more of this blog post »
Mark’s Recent Updates
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Mark Speed
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Mark Speed
rated a book really liked it
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| The usual suspects. As ever, Herron isn't scared of being merciless with characters. I did find it a bit overwritten, though the humour kept me going. However, it was far too reliant on making fun of 'the Rodster'. ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book really liked it
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| An okay novel. Not as heart-tugging or humorous as his other novels, but a good setup. | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book really liked it
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| I think fans of Cloud Atlas would like this. This 1895 set of connected short stories is deserving of its status as a classic. It's interesting to see how he imagines the New York of the 1920s, and how he sees the Paris of the Franco-Prussian war and ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book it was ok
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| I don't like leaving bad reviews. This novel struggles under its own weight. I've no idea why it won the acclaim that it did. Sure, there's an interesting central idea, but it's diluted by the sheer volume of over-written flab about a character in wh ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book really liked it
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| Not the kind of fiction I normally read, nor the kinds of characters I'm interested in but the author had thought things through well. She didn't get bogged down too much in ethics but did flag them up for the reader. ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book it was amazing
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| A very enjoyable novel. The story itself wasn't brilliant, but the telling of it was. I really enjoyed the author's autobiographical comments about her Cambodian mother. Being a white British male it was an education. The sex scenes are also very wel ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book liked it
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| I remember when Boyd had great protagonists and wonderful plots. Sadly, those days are long gone. Another thin thriller with barely credible behaviour on the part of supporting characters. Spoiler alert - a woman who's just got engaged is going to ha ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book really liked it
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| A short but interesting rewrite of the story of Medusa, as told by Medusa. It might not have worked as well as a longer piece. The language was a touch to contemporary for my liking in places but the pace was good. Anyone reading this would know her ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book really liked it
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| The shortest Anne Tyler novel I've read. It's a first-person narrative by a woman who's kidnapped whilst running away from her husband and family. She narrates flashbacks of her life and we discover how she got to where she is. Not as witty or entert ...more | |
“But Time Lords always travel in the T – in their Spectrels, don't they?"
"Only if absolutely necessary."
"You what?"
"It's another myth put about by those scoundrels. Dramatic effect and all that. It's all his fault."
"What do you mean?"
"Who's fault."
"No, I asked you first."
"No, you clot. It's Who's fault – Dr bloody Who. That's who!"
"Why?"
"No, not Why. I said it's Who's fault."
"Whose fault?"
"Yes. Who."
"What?"
"No! Listen, damn you. Don't bring Why or What into it. It's nothing to do with them. It's Who's fault."
"That's what I'm trying to establish, Doctor. Whose fault is it?"
"Yes. It's Who's fault; now, can we just bloody get on with it and stop arguing the toss and bringing the others into it?”
― Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
"Only if absolutely necessary."
"You what?"
"It's another myth put about by those scoundrels. Dramatic effect and all that. It's all his fault."
"What do you mean?"
"Who's fault."
"No, I asked you first."
"No, you clot. It's Who's fault – Dr bloody Who. That's who!"
"Why?"
"No, not Why. I said it's Who's fault."
"Whose fault?"
"Yes. Who."
"What?"
"No! Listen, damn you. Don't bring Why or What into it. It's nothing to do with them. It's Who's fault."
"That's what I'm trying to establish, Doctor. Whose fault is it?"
"Yes. It's Who's fault; now, can we just bloody get on with it and stop arguing the toss and bringing the others into it?”
― Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
“You said these guys are your cousins? Is that, like, for real? It's, like, not a turn of phrase?"
"What on earth do you mean?"
"Well, I refer to my bluds as cuz, sometimes. Is it like that, or is they real blood relatives?"
"Yes, four of them are cousins. One of them is my twin brother. I'm sure you can guess who."
"Who?"
"Yes."
"No, who?"
"Exactly." The Doctor's gaze was in some far-off place, his voice low and monotone. "He was always the troublesome one. He instigated the rift, cemented the separation. Blabbed to the Beeb. I can never forgive him for that. Never.”
― Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
"What on earth do you mean?"
"Well, I refer to my bluds as cuz, sometimes. Is it like that, or is they real blood relatives?"
"Yes, four of them are cousins. One of them is my twin brother. I'm sure you can guess who."
"Who?"
"Yes."
"No, who?"
"Exactly." The Doctor's gaze was in some far-off place, his voice low and monotone. "He was always the troublesome one. He instigated the rift, cemented the separation. Blabbed to the Beeb. I can never forgive him for that. Never.”
― Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
“Then after a while I realised that if there’s one person I’d arrest, it would be Miss Marple herself.” Bunce paused for effect. “She’s a one-woman crime wave, if you think about it. Everywhere this interfering old bag goes, people get murdered.”
― Doctor How and the Big Finish: Book 5
― Doctor How and the Big Finish: Book 5
Topics Mentioning This Author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Travel: February 2015 Newsletter | 4 | 20 | Feb 11, 2015 03:13PM | |
| Time Travel: March and April 2015: Book Club Nominations - Nominations & Poll Closed | 28 | 109 | Mar 16, 2015 01:55PM | |
| Sci-Fi, fantasy a...: Your invitation to the party! Online Multi-Author Giveaway Event | 1 | 7 | Jul 06, 2016 07:37AM | |
| Time Travel: Join the Time Travel Party! Launch for The Day After Never | 5 | 29 | Jul 09, 2016 12:01PM | |
| What's the Name o...: Sci-Fi Adventure novel. Opens with a Dr. Who's twin brother vanished working for the government and entered a portal discovered at the ruins of Atlantis. Portals lead to other galaxies where the "aliens" are the gods from our history. Read in 2019. | 2 | 25 | Jun 29, 2023 02:29PM |
“The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
― The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
― The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
―
―
“To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”
― Life of Pi
― Life of Pi
“If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.”
― Life of Pi
― Life of Pi
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David wrote: "Not sure if I thank you for being a friend, Mark. No copy of my message came up. Thank you.David"
I didn't get a message from you - just a friend request. You're up in Durham, I seem to recall. I lived in Newcastle for many years. It's actually quite good that the rest of the UK doesn't realise how gorgeous the NE of England is, or it'd be spoilt!
Not sure if I thank you for being a friend, Mark. No copy of my message came up. Thank you.David
