This is a sweet read with a great cover. I'll recommend for our shop in the PNW, as this makes a great rainy holiday gift. I think American readers will enjoy the British seaside rain stories and the coziness. I absolutely love the topic: learning to enjoy and appreciate the rain, rather than only hiding from it. It's a mix of the most intriguing scientific tidbits about wet weather, plus reflective essays in classic memoirist style. I'd rate a 5 if it were more easy to simply pick up and read a selection. The chapters are quite long, with the science tidbits mixed fully with the prose. As such, I'd recommend this book to people who like nature writing, memoirs, and poetry. It is really not a pop science read or coffee table infographic style.

A beautiful diary-like book that invites readers to truly experience the weather, not just endure it. Through a year immersed in everything from rain to frost, Gaw’s poetic reflections and snippets of science reveal the beauty and magic in every element. This book inspires a deeper connection with nature and reminds us to embrace life’s unpredictability.

I've only just started reading this but I'm already loving it. I love how the author talks of his own experience as well as those around him. I love that the book opened with that. I also like how the book opened with rain as the first season. Rain in Australia typically comes around spring time when the air temperature changes from cold to warm. We do get some floods and some tropical cyclones but not many, and most are in Queensland. This book is lyrical and flowing nicely with the author's word choices. It is well edited and has an interesting plot. I love weather and learning about it.

"Frost forms the same way as dew, but when the air is cold enough, the water vapour freezes to ice crystals and forms hoar frost. Once you get your eye in, hoar frost is a map. A chart of temperature and light."

"Snow has something nostalgic to it. It generates flashes of memories. A red plastic sled. A woodland somewhere in Essex where the branches formed snowy archways across the rides, the sound of wheels turning endlessly on the hill where we once lived. But I don't think I can remember a single white Christmas."

"Memory is strange. It doesn't unfurl chronoligically. It arrives in bursts in often unexpected places. I'm surprised at how many of my memories feature weather."

In All Weathers by Matt Gaw explores how different weather phenomena shape our experiences and the events in life.