83 ratings | 24 reviews | avg rating:3.71

John’s Year In Books

John’s 2025 Year in Books

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

Go to John’s 2025 Year in Books

John R. Bell’s Followers (5)

John’s Bookshelves

to-read (1)
currently-reading (9)
read (83)
did-not-finish (0)
classic (6)
coming-of-age (2)
general-fiction (11)
historical-fiction (28)
horror (4)
non-fiction (15)
See all bookshelves »

John’s Friends (51)

Kris (My Novelesque Life)

18,773 books | 1,054 friends

Sue

2,716 books | 1,622 friends

Sandra Miksa

20,899 books | 954 friends

Lindsay L

3,257 books | 4,382 friends

Erin

6,660 books | 1,807 friends

Matt

7,882 books | 4,831 friends

Erin Clemence

4,115 books | 1,880 friends

Helen

3,119 books | 718 friends

More friends…

John R. Bell

Goodreads Author

Born

Chigwell, The United Kingdom

Website

https://www.ceoafterlife.com/

Twitter

johnrichardbell

Genre

Historical Fiction, Business, Fiction

Member Since

February 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/johnbell

edit data

Before becoming an author of business books and historical fiction, John Bell was a CEO, global strategy consultant, and a director of several private, public, and not-for-profit organizations. A prolific blogger, John's musings on strategy, leadership, and branding have appeared in various journals such as Fortune, Forbes and ceoafterlife.com. His novel, 'The Circumstantial Enemy' chronicles the trials and capers of Tony Babic, a young pilot who finds himself forcibly aligned with Hitler’s Luftwaffe in 1941. John's business book, 'Do Less Better' provides a tool-kit of road-tested strategies for leaders eager to find agility and resilience. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask John R. Bell questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
John R. Bell’s books

Average rating: 4.15 · 59 ratings · 22 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Circumstantial Enemy 4.22 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2017 — 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
	Do Less Better: The Power of Strategic Sacrifice in a Complex World 3.78 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2014 — 10 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

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

1 post
John R. Bell's Blog

5 Things I Learned Writing A Novel That I Wished I Knew When I was a CEO

I’ve written over a 100 blogs about leadership, strategy and culture. Within that portfolio are several accounts of business reinvention and transformation. Yet it was only a few months ago that I composed my first post on another type of reinvention – personal reinvention. My own.

You see, after I departed the corner office I had this crazy idea to write a thrilling historical novel. The means to Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 15, 2018 10:42

John is Currently Reading

John Bell is currently reading

Strangers at the Red Door: A Novel

by Dennis Bock

bookshelves: currently-reading

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 19, 2026 02:54PM

John Bell is currently reading

Exit Strategy (Jack Reacher, #30)

by Lee Child (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Jan 06, 2026 12:56PM

John Bell is currently reading

The Frozen River

by Ariel Lawhon (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Oct 25, 2025 03:55PM

rss
John’s Recent Updates

John Bell rated a book it was ok The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway	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
An excellent overview of the war and its impact. Title attracted me to the story, but the cellist was a very small part of the plot.
Mar 23, 2026 11:55PM · like · see review
John Bell is currently reading Strangers at the Red Door: A Novel by Dennis Bock	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 19, 2026 02:54PM · like
John Bell is currently reading Exit Strategy (Jack Reacher, #30) by Lee Child (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
Jan 06, 2026 12:56PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Exit Strategy by Lee Child. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Exit Strategy by Lee Child <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Bell rated a book liked it The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark (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
Nov 16, 2025 04:52PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Bell is currently reading The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (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
Oct 25, 2025 03:55PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Bell rated a book liked it The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb (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
Oct 24, 2025 12:07AM · like
John Bell is currently reading A Wanted Man (Jack Reacher, #17) by Lee Child (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
Sep 16, 2025 07:25PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Wanted Man by Lee Child. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Wanted Man by Lee Child <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Bell is currently reading Caleb (Caleb Lambert Thriller Book 1) by Jeff Menapace (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
Aug 18, 2025 10:04PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Caleb by Jeff Menapace. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Caleb by Jeff Menapace <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Bell rated a book liked it The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark (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
Aug 18, 2025 09:58PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Bell is currently reading In Too Deep (Jack Reacher #29) by Lee Child (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
Apr 26, 2025 11:03PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In Too Deep by Lee Child. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In Too Deep by Lee Child <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">