Scheduled for 6 April:
100 Words for Rain – And everything else you need to know about British weather by Alex Johnson is a fun and informative book discussing rain, sunshine, storms and every other meteorological phenomenon you could think of, and probably more.
I’ve learnt that the average Brit supposedly spends the equivalent of about five months talking about the weather during their life (and I’m sure the same could be said for Belgians!).
100 Words for Rain takes a look at the importance of weather in this day and age, but also takes us back in time by means of many interesting and/or quirky historical facts involving the weather. It shows the impact of the weather on mental health and even in literature: from Shakespeare to Frances Hodgson Burnett, from Charles Dickens to Virginia Woolf, from James Joyce to Thomas Hardy, meteorological phenomena play an important part in their works.
Obviously, as the title predicts, I learnt so many new words for all sorts of rain and storms and snow. I’m doomed to forget most of them, but one I know will stick is that in Scotland, it rains auld wives and pike staves instead of cats and dogs, it’s more or less the same in Dutch (although in Dutch it’s one or the other) and I had no idea it was a Scottish saying as well.
Overall, I had a great time with 100 Words for Rain and if you’re looking for non-fiction that has a bit of everything, with the weather as a common denominator, this is the one for you.

100 Words for Rain, such a very British topic. This is such an interesting and informative book. Full of just the type of information that I love. As well as all the words for rain, snow, thunder and lightning there are lots of little anecdotes about how different types of weather influence the very framework of our lives, our shopping habits and our behaviour. I loved the section on creative rain and the one about all the proper names for weather phobias, who knew there could be so many.
This is a fun book to read for anyone interested in the weather and, let’s face it, it is a national pastime at least it is here in the UK.

Well lets be honest, I’m British, this book was made for me, I was born to read, talk, obsess about the weather, it is never far from my mind!
This wonderful little book is full of fascinating facts I didn’t know I needed to know. From all the divers regional names for different weather conditions to how the weather may have affected major historical events from the Romans onward, and even how it shapes our emotions.
Being a bibliophile I also loved the mentions of weather in literature and poetry.
It would be very easy to gobble this book up in one sitting but equally a pleasure to dip in and out of. I would be more than happy to recommend it.

I received a free copy of, 100 Words for Rain, by Alex Johnson, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I never realized there are so many words for rain. I would definitely take rain over snow any day. This book talks about more than rain, fog, storms, snow, etc. I really enjoyed this book, it was so interesting.

A beautifully written National Trust book that covers subjects from weather forecasting to how weather affects behaviour. The British discuss weather a lot, mostly because it is so variable! This makes it hard to plan holidays here that might have a chance of decent weather! The author mentions novels where weather is important, such as The Birds by Daphne de Maurier and Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd. There's a chapter on folklore eg If it rains on St Swithin's day it will rain for the following 40 days, which is often true. Did you know that bees are good weather forecasters? There's a lot to discover in this charming book. A comprehensive index means that you can look up subjects from storms to Julius Caesar.

British people and their love of talking about the weather may feel like a cliche but it does actually feature a lot in our daily conversations and seems to be important to a lot of us, maybe because our climate and weather patterns are so changeable compared to many other places. And I have to say I found this book genuinely interesting!

I loved the glimpses of past events, the regional differences in language and experiences and the quotes from literature - it's a really lovely book to dip in and out of to see just how much it is part of our everyday lives. It's also beautifully and clearly laid out and has some very nice illustrations, so a great little reference books for anyone with an interest in the subject.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

#100WordsforRain #NetGalley

A well written book perfect for leaving out on the coffee table as every English man likes to talk about the weather, and it rains a lot 😃

The weather is definitely a well talked about topic in Britain so it is great to learn more about eh topic that fills our daily conversations.

I have been living in Britain for nearly half of my life, and up until this day, I still ponder on the British urge to talk about the weather. It has always puzzled me, and at times I've found it comical. I enjoy exploring more words for rain and different ways to describe the weather. 'Robin Hoods Bay wind' will stick with me now, as I'm from that area. Thank you, NetGalley, and Alex Johnson for this fun read, which certainly at times left me in stitches!

100 Words for Rain by Alex Johnson

Began reading this during many of our named storms of this year thus far.
As Brits we do like to talk about the weather , not only to friends and family but also to complete strangers such as those we might meet at a bus stop ! Nothing wrong in that as the weather is such an interesting subject.
This book will go a long way in fulfilling our desire to find out all we can on weather of all aspects.
Very informative.

I happened to start reading this book in the middle of heavy downpours and a double storm duo. It definitely added to the ambience and made for some atmospheric reading!

As brits, it’s difficult to get by without a comment on the weather, probably daily and in detail about how it affected our commute, the latest weather warning, storms and friendly small talk about not only the weather we’re having but about the weather we are to expect in repetitive detail. It’s part of our DNA! And what’s better, than to have an insightful book about all things weather. This one will satisfy all your curiosities.

It was a brilliantly expansive book on all kinds of weather spanning weather in literature, weather phenomenons, regional dialects on weather, historical events, weathers effect on behaviour and the trends we’re seeing to name a few.

It really was super interesting and you’re bound to leave with all sorts of new knowledge (which you can whip out next time the subject of weather inevitably crops up in your next conversation!). I actually learnt a lot more than I thought I would and enjoyed the variety of topics.

A brilliantly inventive book on all things weather - a necessity for any Brit’s bookshelf.