Russ’s Year In Books

Russ’s 2025 Year in Books

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

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Russ Swan

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@russs.bsky.social

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July 2021

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Russ Swan is a journalist, editor, and author. He lives in Nottinghamshire, UK, and consequently has a mild obsession with Robin Hood. He also likes motorbikes and springer spaniels.

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Russ Swan’s books

Average rating: 4.28 · 36 ratings · 8 reviews · 2 distinct works

	The Physics Behind: Discover the Physics of Everyday Life 4.26 avg rating — 35 ratings — 4 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
	Lo que la Física Esconde...: Descubre la Física de la Vida Cotidiana by Russ Swan (Goodreads Author), Sandra Marín Aragón (Translator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	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.

A Moment of War by Laurie Lee

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had to separate craft from content to appreciate this book. Lee's craft is exceptional - he takes a few ordinary words and assembles them into quite beautiful passages that deserve to be read over and over. His writing can be lyrical, with rhythm and cadence and all that, and is a pleasure to consume.

I'm less enthusiastic about the content Read more of this blog post »

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Published on May 21, 2026 06:31 • Tags: memoir-war-laurielee

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Russ Swan wrote a new blog post Beautiful but dull A Moment of War by Laurie Lee My rating: 3 of 5 stars I had to separate craft from content to appreciate this book. Lee's craft is exceptional - he tak Read more of this blog post »
May 21, 2026 06:31AM · like
Russ Swan rated a book liked it A Moment of War by Laurie Lee	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
I had to separate craft from content to appreciate this book. Lee's craft is exceptional - he takes a few ordinary words and assembles them into quite beautiful passages that deserve to be read over and over. His writing can be lyrical, with rhythm a ...more
May 21, 2026 03:09AM · like · see review
Russ Swan rated a book really liked it The Meteorites: Encounters with Outer Space and Deep Time by Helen Gordon	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
This is a wonderful book, beautifully written and engaging, but it has serious problems with numbers. I don't care that Helen Gordon isn't scientist or meteorite specialist. She has done a lot of research - actually going to see people and places, not ...more
May 12, 2026 04:00AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Meteorites by Helen Gordon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Meteorites by Helen Gordon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Russ Swan rated a book it was amazing Lo que la Física Esconde...: Descubre la Física de la Vida Cotidiana by Russ Swan (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 24, 2026 04:07AM · like
Russ Swan rated a book it was amazing The Physics Behind: Discover the Physics of Everyday Life by Russ Swan (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 24, 2026 04:07AM · like
Russ Swan has read The Physics Behind: Discover the Physics of Everyday Life by Russ Swan (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 24, 2026 04:06AM · like
Russ Swan rated a book really liked it Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (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
Oh great, I thought, another novel by a novellist about how tough it is being a novellist and writing novels. Authors are often implored to 'write what you know', and if you're a novellist then what you know is writing novels, but seriously I don't t ...more
Apr 24, 2026 03:18AM · like · see review
Russ Swan rated a book it was amazing Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by Dylan Thomas	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
I found this a little challenging at first, but soon warmed to the distinctive rhythms and cadences of Thomas's writing. He breaks all the rules but gets away with it through the sheer gorgeousness of his prose. A couple of things helped, and they're ...more
Mar 19, 2026 04:44PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by Dylan Thomas. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by Dylan Thomas <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Russ Swan rated a book liked it Redshirts by John Scalzi (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
The premise of this book is simple, self-explanatory, and I wish I'd thought of it first. It's all explained on the cover strapline they were expendable... until they started comparing notes , but there is much more to it than that. The story arc de ...more
Mar 06, 2026 08:34AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Redshirts by John Scalzi. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Redshirts by John Scalzi <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Russ Swan rated a book really liked it The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (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
Lots of sumptuous writing here, but the operative word is lots. I felt sure there would be an intricate plot twist somewhere along the line, with clues hidden in the endless descriptive passages, and I even convinved myself I'd worked it out (a rathe ...more
Feb 20, 2026 10:54AM · like · see review