The Secret World of Weather by Tristan Gooley

This is a fascinating book. I check the weather forecasts frequently but the nearest weather service is over sixty miles away. I live in the rain shadow of mountains and at the east end of a strait bounded by mountains on the north and south. My weather is frequently very different than that forecasted for the general area.

This book helped me understand microclimates and the weather produced in small areas. I learned how weather condition differ because of land characteristics. I now know why it is often raining at my cousin's house but not mine when we are only a few miles apart. I have learned how to listen to the wind, noticing the changes in sound as it changes direction and intensity. I understand now why there is frost on the shed roof when my outside thermometer registers an above freezing temperature. I know what the red and green on apples mean. I know why fir trees are better to be under during a rainstorm than broad leaf trees.

My favorite section was on rain. I do live in the Pacific Northwest and we get our fair share of rain. I had no idea rain had different tastes and smells. I learned about the variety in the size of raindrops and the speed at which they fall. Now I listen to the rain, noting its various sounds.

This book contains a wealth of information for readers who want to know more about their weather and what causes it. Gooley has a fun writing style, frequently adding personal stories to illustrate his weather revelations. I never realized how much I missed and will now be looking closer, paying better attention to weather indicators on the ground and in the air.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Tristan Gooley is the New York Times best-selling author of How to Read Water, How to Read Nature, The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs, The Natural Navigator, and The Nature Instinct. He is a leading expert on natural navigation. He has led expeditions in five continents, sailed boats across oceans, and pilots small aircraft. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Royal Geographical Society. He is currently vicechairman of Trailfinders and he runs the world's only school of natural navigation. You can find out more at naturalnavigator.com.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)