108 ratings | 13 reviews | avg rating:4.19

Mark’s Year In Books

Mark’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Mark’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Mark Olmsted

Goodreads Author

Born

in Denver, The United States

Website

http://www.lavenderisthenewblack.com

Twitter

marquismarq

Genre

Memoir, Memoir, Historical Fiction

Influences

Maugham, Wilde, Maupassant, Julia Glass

Member Since

July 2012

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Mark has been a writer since he graduated in from NYU School of the Arts in 1980. After over a decade in Manhattan, he moved to California to pursue screenwriting and take care of his brother, who died of AIDS in 1991. Gay and HIV+ himself, Mark self-medicated through the worst of the plague years with crystal meth, which led to a conviction for drug-dealing in 2004 and nine months in prison.

Mark emerged into a life of recovery and activism, writing hundreds of essays for the Huffington Post and his personal blog, The Trash Whisperer, based on his hobby of keeping his Hollywood neighborhood free of litter. In 2011 he entered the Graduate Humanities program in Mount St. Mary’s University, obtaining a Master’s Degree with a specialization in ...more

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Combine Editions
Mark Olmsted’s books

Average rating: 4.33 · 43 ratings · 11 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	Ink from the Pen: A Prison Memoir 4.31 avg rating — 42 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stories from the American Tapestry 1880-1980: Past and Present by Claudia Keenan, Sandra Moreano (Illustrator), Mark Olmsted (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Almost-Worst Best Christmas Ever by Mark Olmsted (Goodreads Author), Marianne Hegg 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Comment Pierre Poire a eu même pas peur by Mark Olmsted (Goodreads Author), Sandra Moreano (Editor), Henri Chabal (Illustrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La Jeunesse de Simone: The life of Simone Olmsted 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Goodbye for Now by Mark Olmsted (Goodreads Author), Marianne Hegg 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Mark Olmsted…

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Mark Olmsted's Blog

GQ to the Rescue

At long last, the story about my story has made it to the big time.

https://www.gq.com/story/the-man-who-wouldnt-die

Mark is Currently Reading

Mark is currently reading

Paris Ink: Australians Reflect on the City of Light

by CWIP Publishing

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Nov 13, 2025 12:43AM

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Gone to Soldiers

by Marge Piercy

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May 08, 2025 02:22PM

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Falconer

by John Cheever

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Sep 21, 2024 12:51AM

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Mark is now friends with Blakey Boy
Jul 18, 2026 12:52PM · like
Mark rated a book really liked it Lamb: A Novel in Snapshots by Troy Ford (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 15, 2026 02:25PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lamb by Troy Ford. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lamb by Troy Ford <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Mark is currently reading Paris Ink: Australians Reflect on the City of Light by CWIP Publishing	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Mark is currently reading Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 08, 2025 02:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark rated a book really liked it Everything We Thought Was True by Lisa Montanaro (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 08, 2025 12:58AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Everything We Thought Was True by Lisa Montanaro. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Everything We Thought Was True by Lisa Montanaro <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark finished reading The Scattering and the Seed: Powerful New Insights to Achieve Interfaith Unity by Robin Kar	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 20, 2025 12:43PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Scattering and the Seed by Robin Kar. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Scattering and the Seed by Robin Kar <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Apr 19, 2025 12:59AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Scattering and the Seed by Robin Kar. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Scattering and the Seed by Robin Kar <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark is currently reading Everything We Thought Was True by Lisa Montanaro (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Sep 21, 2024 12:51AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Falconer by John Cheever. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Falconer by John Cheever <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">