While much of the focus of A Good Reed Review is on the performing arts in the form of reviews and commentary, the written word is also artistic in its own way. As such, it too deserves some attention. Below is a list of book reviews ordered by author. The books in this list are not limited to any particular genre or publication date. While some of the books are reviewed shortly after publication, or in a few rare cases even before public release, the vast majority are books that have been around for some time and captured Ande’s attention in some way. Enjoy!
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Angelina A. Allsop
Follow Peter Green into AfterLife, his new, “unliving” state of being (Peter Green and the Unliving Academy, TCK Publishing (November 20, 2018))
Jacob M. Appel
‘Einstein’s Beach House’ takes a sharp, yet witty view of life (Einstein’s Beach House, Pressgang (December 5, 2014))
David Baldacci
It only takes a ‘Split Second’ (Split Second, Columbus Rose, Ltd. (2003))
Breaking the code (Simple Genius, Columbus Rose, Ltd. (January 1, 2007))
Can we believe the reports? (The Whole Truth, Grand Central Publishing (2008))
Justice in Divine (Divine Justice, Columbus Rose, Ltd. (2008))
The law applies to everyone, even the ‘First Family’ (First Family, Columbus Rose, Ltd. (2009))
The Camel Club’s final case (Hell’s Corner, Columbus Rose, Ltd. (2010))
How to stop the evil doers (Deliver Us from Evil, Columbus Rose, Ltd. (2010))
What happened to Edgar Roy? (The Sixth Man, Columbus Rose, Ltd. (2011))
The end of the King and Maxwell series (King and Maxwell, Columbus Rose, Ltd. (2013))
Daniel Bangham
The book every woodwind player and technician should have (Woodwind Instruments: a practical guide for technicians and repairers, The Crowood Press (October 2022))
Dan Brown
Dan Brown’s ‘Inferno’ takes readers on an unforgettable journey (Inferno, Doubleday (May 14, 2013))
Ira Chaleff
Courageous followership matters (To Stop a Tyrant, Wonderwell Press (September 2, 2024))
Hillary Clinton & Louise Penny
What keeps a Secretary of State up at night? (State of Terror, Simon & Schuster; St. Martin’s Press (October 2021))
Michael Cordell
Confessions may sometimes mislead (Confession, TCK Publishing (August 2025))
Richard Dawkins
The God Delusion – Why limit our perception? (The God Delusion, Bantam Press (2006))
Clive Fleury
Clive Fleury’s ‘Kill Code’ is a compelling read (Kill Code, TCK Publishing (December 3, 2018))
Robert Ford
‘The Student Conductor’ masterfully merges politics, history, fiction, and musical reality (The Student Conductor, G. P. Putnam’s Sons (September 29, 2003))
Tana French
‘The Trespasser’ is a gripping murder mystery (The Trespasser, Viking (October 4, 2016))
Tess Gerritsen
Can old spies ever truly retire? (The Spy Coast, Thomas & Mercer (November 1, 2023))
Doctors make the scariest villains (The Surgeon, Ballantine Books (August 2001))
Warren Hoyt’s story continues… (The Apprentice, Ballantine Books (August 2002))
The Dangers behind the wall (The Sinner, Ballantine Books (August 2003))
Double take (Body Double, Ballantine Books (August 2004))
The hidden and the hiding (Vanish, Ballantine Books (August 2005))
Is evil born or made? (The Mephisto Club, Ballantine Books (August 2006))
The things we keep (The Keepsake, Ballentine Books (September 2008))
Ski trips can be dangerous (Ice Cold, Ballentine Books (June 2010))
When myth and reality merges (The Silent Girl, Ballentine Books (July 2011))
The kids will be OK (Last to Die, Ballentine Books (August 2012))
A dangerous case of mistaken identity (Die Again, Ballentine Books (December 2014))
Childhood secrets can be dangerous (I Know a Secret, Ballentine Books (August 2017))
We need to listen (Listen to Me, Ballentine Books (July 2022))
Parts for sale (Harvest, Atria (September 1996))
What is the cost of living forever? (Life Support, Pocket Books (September 1997))
What makes us tick? (Bloodstream, Pocket Books (August 1998))
When ET lands, the unexpected happens (Gravity, Pocket Books (September 1999))
A bit of medical history and a mystery (The Bone Garden, Pocket Books (September 2007))
The line between guests and residents can be a fractious one (The Summer Guests, Thomas and Mercer (March 2025))
Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett
Everyone needs a very nice box (The Very Nice Box, Mariner Books (July 6, 2021))
Yuval Noah Harari
‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ – a story of where we came from and where we might be going (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Harper (February 10, 2015))
Follow-on thoughts about ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ – Part 1: Common Myths (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Harper (February 10, 2015))
Follow-on thoughts about ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ – Part 2: Happiness (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Harper (February 10, 2015))
‘Homo Deus’ – will AIs replace Homo sapiens? (Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, Harper (February 21, 2017))
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris almost did the impossible (107 Days, Simon & Schuster (October 2025))
Teri Kanefield
We need more people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Free to Be Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Story of Women and Law, Armon Books (2016))
‘Lawyers Never Lie’ is a gripping legal comedy (Lawyers Never Lie, Armon Books (August 2014))
The dangers of disinformation in a compelling novel (Memoirs and True Confessions of a Disinformation Warrior, blog serial novel (March 2023))
Wear a raincoat! (A Firehose of Falsehood: The Story of Disinformation, First Second (February 13, 2024))
Hearing in the light of day (Turn On the Light So I Can Hear, Armon Books (September 2014))
‘A Firehose of Falsehood’ is a must read! (A Firehose of Falsehood: The Story of Disinformation, First Second (February 13, 2024))
A timely history of the Bill of Rights (Rebels, Robbers, and Radicals: The Story of the Bill of Rights, Abrams Books for Young Readers (May 2025))
Understanding how to deal with extremism and intolerance (Why Intolerance and Extremism Happen: Understanding our Deepest Divides (November 2025))
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
‘The Daughters of Kobani’ shows just what motivated women can do (The Daughters of Kobani, Penguin Press (February 2021))
Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt
Are we training people to fear rather than think? (The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, Penguin Random House LLC (September 4, 2018))
Sy Montgomery
‘The Soul of an Octopus’ opens up a whole new world (The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, Atria, (May 1, 2015))
Louise Penny
Life is anything but still (Still Life, Macmillan Publishers (2005))
A most ungraceful exit (A Fatal Grace, Macmillan Publishers (2007))
Can somebody be literally scared to death? (The Cruelest Month, Macmillan Publishers (2008))
The Morrows and a murder (A Rule Against Murder, Macmillan Publishers (2009))
Why is the question (The Brutal Telling, Macmillan Publishers (2010))
History, mystery, and beyond (Bury Your Dead, Macmillan Publishers (2010))
Artistic murder (A Trick of the Light, Macmillan Publishers (2011))
Facts vs. Faith (The Beautiful Mystery, Macmillan Publishers (2012))
We have to be open to the light (How the Light Gets In, Macmillan Publishers (2013))
What happened to Peter Morrow? (The Long Way Home, Macmillan Publishers (2014))
What happened to Ruth Zardo? (The Nature of the Beast, Macmillan Publishers (2015))
Finishing cleaning house (A Great Reckoning, Macmillan Publishers (2016))
Making it appear that all is lost (Glass Houses, Macmillan Publishers (2017))
Blind spots can be challenging (Kingdom of the Blind, Macmillan Publishers (2018))
What would Armand Gamache do? (A Better Man, Macmillan Publishers (2019))
Armand is always an investigator (All the Devils Are Here, Macmillan Publishers (2020))
Should we have a right or a duty to die? (The Madness of Crowds, Macmillan Publishers (2021))
Is evil born or nurtured? (A World of Curiosities, Macmillan Publishers (2022))
The hidden threat may be worse than the known threat (The Grey Wolf, Macmillan Publishers (2024))
What happens when the water runs out? (The Black Wolf, Macmillan Publishers (2025))
Kristen Perrin
What if they really are out to get you? (How to Solve Your Own Murder, Dutton (March 2024))
Dr. Heather Cox Richardson
How the South Won the Civil War unmasks the American paradox (How the South Won the Civil War, Oxford University Press, (April 1, 2020))
‘Democracy Awakening’ puts it all in perspective (Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, Viking, (September 26, 2023))
Kate Quinn
‘The Rose Code’ puzzles reach beyond the walls of Bletchley Park (The Rose Code, William Morrow (March 9, 2021))
The fascinating story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, (The Diamond Eye, William Morrow (March 29, 2022))
The search for Die Jägerin (The Huntress, William Morrow (February 26, 2019))
What does Briarwood House know? (The Briar Club, William Morrow (July 2024))
Where do old spies go? (The Alice Network, William Morrow (June 2017))
The Phoenix Crown: A tale of intrigue and survival (The Phoenix Crown, William Morrow (March 2024), with Janie Chang)
J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” adds a thrilling eighth chapter to the series (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Little, Brown (July 31, 2016))
Jenna Ryan
What if you could see the future? (The Channeler: A Future Forwarned (Continuum Series Book 1, TCK Publishing (January 18, 2019))
Oliver Sacks
‘Musicophilia’ – how music touches us all (Musicophila, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (October 16, 2007))
Timothy Snyder
Timothy Snyder’s ‘On Tyranny’ is a must read (On Tyranny, Tim Duggan Books (February 2017))
Adrian Tchaikovsky
‘Children of Time’ expands minds (Children of Time, Tor (June 2015))
‘Children of Ruin’ continues the journey (Children of Ruin, Tor (2019))
‘Children of Memory’ completes the journey (Children of Memory, Tor (November 2022))
Shankar Vedantam
‘The Hidden Brain’ – how much do we really know about what we think? (The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives, Spiegel & Grau (August 31, 2010))
Matthew Walker, PhD
‘Why We Sleep’ shows that sleep makes us smarter and healthier (Why We Sleep: Unlocking The Power Of Sleep And Dreams, Schribner (October 1, 2017))
Isabel Wilkerson
To dream of a world without caste (Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Random House (August 4, 2020))
Bob Woodward and Robert Costa
The nation is in ‘Peril’ (Peril, Simon & Schuster (September 2021))
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