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Bring Me Sunshine: A Windswept, Rain-Soaked, Sun-Kissed, Snow-Capped Guide to Our Weather
In this funny and engaging book, Charlie Connelly sets off on the trail of our island obsession - the weather..
We talk about the weather a lot . It exasperates, confounds and on occasion delights us. Our national conversation is dominated by the weather, but how much do we really know about it? In Bring Me Sunshine, Charlie Connelly sets off on the trail of our island obsession.
He breezes through the lives of meteorological eccentrics, geniuses, rainmakers and cloud-busters and brings vividly to life great weather events from history. He sheds light on Britain's weirdest wind, why we have the wettest place in England to thank for the trusty pencil, the debt that umbrella owners owe to Robinson Crusoe and why people once thought firing cannons at clouds was a great idea.
Having adventured round the shipping forecast areas for his bestselling Attention All Shipping , Connelly is the perfect guide through a mélange of gales, blizzards, mists, heatwaves and the occasional shower of fish. By turns informative, entertaining and hilarious, Bring Me Sunshine answers all your weather questions as well as helping you to distinguish your graupel from your petrichor.
We talk about the weather a lot . It exasperates, confounds and on occasion delights us. Our national conversation is dominated by the weather, but how much do we really know about it? In Bring Me Sunshine, Charlie Connelly sets off on the trail of our island obsession.
He breezes through the lives of meteorological eccentrics, geniuses, rainmakers and cloud-busters and brings vividly to life great weather events from history. He sheds light on Britain's weirdest wind, why we have the wettest place in England to thank for the trusty pencil, the debt that umbrella owners owe to Robinson Crusoe and why people once thought firing cannons at clouds was a great idea.
Having adventured round the shipping forecast areas for his bestselling Attention All Shipping , Connelly is the perfect guide through a mélange of gales, blizzards, mists, heatwaves and the occasional shower of fish. By turns informative, entertaining and hilarious, Bring Me Sunshine answers all your weather questions as well as helping you to distinguish your graupel from your petrichor.
321 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 6, 2014
BOTWRead by Stephen Mangan
blurb - We talk about the weather a lot. It exasperates, confounds and on occasion delights us. Our national conversation is dominated by the weather, but how much do we really know about it? In Bring Me Sunshine, Charlie Connelly sets off on the trail of our island obsession.
He breezes through the lives of meteorological eccentrics, geniuses, rainmakers and cloud-busters and brings vividly to life great weather events from history. He sheds light on Britain's weirdest wind, the first weather forecast and why people once thought firing cannons at clouds was a great idea.
Having adventured round the shipping forecast areas for his bestselling Attention All Shipping, Connelly is the perfect guide through a melange of gales, blizzards, mists, heatwaves and the occasional shower of fish. Bring Me Sunshine answers all your weather questions as well as helping you to distinguish your graupel from your petrichor.
Bring Me Sunshine: http://youtu.be/ZedhoqYdfTM
Produced by Joanna Green A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
5* Attention All Shipping A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast
CR Bring Me Sunshine
December 21, 2016
From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the week:
Charlie Connelly sets off on the trail of our island obsession, the weather. And when talking about the British climate which aspect do we usually turn to first? Rain...
We talk about the weather a lot. It exasperates, confounds and on occasion delights us. Our national conversation is dominated by the weather, but how much do we really know about it? In Bring Me Sunshine, Charlie Connelly sets off on the trail of our island obsession.
He breezes through the lives of meteorological eccentrics, geniuses, rainmakers and cloud-busters and brings vividly to life great weather events from history.
He sheds light on Britain's weirdest wind, the first weather forecast and why people once thought firing cannons at clouds was a great idea.
Having adventured round the shipping forecast areas for his bestselling Attention All Shipping, Connelly is the perfect guide through a melange of gales, blizzards, mists, heatwaves and the occasional shower of fish. Bring Me Sunshine answers all your weather questions as well as helping you to distinguish your graupel from your petrichor.
Produced by Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mhwsv
Charlie Connelly sets off on the trail of our island obsession, the weather. And when talking about the British climate which aspect do we usually turn to first? Rain...
We talk about the weather a lot. It exasperates, confounds and on occasion delights us. Our national conversation is dominated by the weather, but how much do we really know about it? In Bring Me Sunshine, Charlie Connelly sets off on the trail of our island obsession.
He breezes through the lives of meteorological eccentrics, geniuses, rainmakers and cloud-busters and brings vividly to life great weather events from history.
He sheds light on Britain's weirdest wind, the first weather forecast and why people once thought firing cannons at clouds was a great idea.
Having adventured round the shipping forecast areas for his bestselling Attention All Shipping, Connelly is the perfect guide through a melange of gales, blizzards, mists, heatwaves and the occasional shower of fish. Bring Me Sunshine answers all your weather questions as well as helping you to distinguish your graupel from your petrichor.
Produced by Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mhwsv
May 25, 2013
This is the third Charlie Connelly book that I have read, and it is just as good as the others. I think that his writing style is great, he manages to be interested in the subjects he writes about, informative and the prose is lightly scattered with humour.
Attention All Shipping A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast was loosely about the weather, and FitzRoy, but for this book he has concentrated on the weather, and our relationship with it. He has split the chapters to cover different weather event, rain, snow wind and so on.
Each chapter has anecdotes and characters from the history of weather forecasting, significant weather events and also his personal feelings and interactions with the weather.
A really good book, can highly recommend.
Attention All Shipping A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast was loosely about the weather, and FitzRoy, but for this book he has concentrated on the weather, and our relationship with it. He has split the chapters to cover different weather event, rain, snow wind and so on.
Each chapter has anecdotes and characters from the history of weather forecasting, significant weather events and also his personal feelings and interactions with the weather.
A really good book, can highly recommend.
September 16, 2012
I listened to an abridged audio adaptation.
Easy-to-read British history of meteorology.
Remarkable weather events in Northern Europe, and attempts to understand the weather and ameliorate its effects.
Aimed at the general reader, this doesn't go into great depth, but has a wide range of stories and facts with something to surprise every reader.
Easy-to-read British history of meteorology.
Remarkable weather events in Northern Europe, and attempts to understand the weather and ameliorate its effects.
Aimed at the general reader, this doesn't go into great depth, but has a wide range of stories and facts with something to surprise every reader.
February 6, 2017
I'm super impressed with Charlie Connelly's books - always full of humour and light entertainment and always full of technical and scientific facts - my perfect combination! If you're one for quirky little facts and geeky-ness and love Bill Bryson's stories, then I guarantee that Charlie Connelly will be one author that you won't stop reading. Can't wait to find another one..
August 30, 2019
This book puts across a lot of information about weather in a really interesting way.
If you're not interested in the weather at all, this probably isn't for you.
This book covers more of the basics on how the normal ways of measuring the weather now came about, all narrated by a guy that knew nothing and wanted to learn which makes it a much more accessible text than could be expected.
Throughout this book there are a multitude of fun little stories that made this an amusing read that didnt feel too heavy on facts due to the way in which it was written.
I can see this book being more of a dip in and out kind of book when it comes to less avid geography fans rather than a cover to cover read in a day like I did but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
I was a highly interested geography student though so it's safe to say I already had an interest in this topic, and knew a lot of the terminology but I honestly don't think it would have made a difference.
If you're not interested in the weather at all, this probably isn't for you.
This book covers more of the basics on how the normal ways of measuring the weather now came about, all narrated by a guy that knew nothing and wanted to learn which makes it a much more accessible text than could be expected.
Throughout this book there are a multitude of fun little stories that made this an amusing read that didnt feel too heavy on facts due to the way in which it was written.
I can see this book being more of a dip in and out kind of book when it comes to less avid geography fans rather than a cover to cover read in a day like I did but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
I was a highly interested geography student though so it's safe to say I already had an interest in this topic, and knew a lot of the terminology but I honestly don't think it would have made a difference.
December 1, 2019
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Charlie has a wonderful way of making the mundane delightful. Like all of his books this is ‘a page turner’. Although factual, it is written in such a way that it encourages the reader to become absorbed.
I have learned so much from reading this book that I will never take ‘the weather’ for granted again or moan about its idiosyncratic nature.
This book is a gem.
Thanks Charlie.
I have learned so much from reading this book that I will never take ‘the weather’ for granted again or moan about its idiosyncratic nature.
This book is a gem.
Thanks Charlie.
April 9, 2025
Although I didn't find this book as good a read as the author's excellent Attention All Shipping, about the shipping forecast, it was nevertheless an enjoyable study of what weather is all about. Full of fascinating facts about early students of the weather, and explanations of exactly how weather patterns occur, the book taught me a great deal about rain, snow , fog and many other things that we take for granted as part of our lives.
October 17, 2019
Interesting in all its historical events etc but unable to fully engage me as I'm not at all familiar nor am I that interested in weather in UK and/or Ireland... I just couldn't relate as I've never been. Maybe one day...
oh, it's shelved as 'humor' on GR... Did not at all find it funny?! Maybe it's just me.
oh, it's shelved as 'humor' on GR... Did not at all find it funny?! Maybe it's just me.
September 2, 2024
This is the definition of a special interest book. It's basically a history of meteorology, sprinkled with historical and personal anecdotes (weather-related as well, ofc).
Would definitely be a treat for a weather nerd!
Would definitely be a treat for a weather nerd!
October 27, 2022
An interesting topic, the fascination with the weather. A book full of nerdy little stories, full of details after long research. Similar to the other books of the author but not as good as others.
Read
January 4, 2023entertaining read
April 2, 2023
Better than his pervious work, but misses that "Piquant" that the likes of Bill Bryson (whom is on the verge of being emulated here) posses
March 20, 2017
Okay - I messed up! I thought this was a different book by the same title, but a different author. If you are into weather, this would be great. I am not into weather, so I found this book tedious. It has lots of historical facts about anything to do with weather; storms, wind, etc. and even the history of the umbrella. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was British. I do not like narrators with foreign accents, so this added to my dislike of this book. Sorry, a great book for some, with lots of research and information, but not for me!
February 9, 2024
Book 46 of 2023. It's very apt to review it now, in November, when the weather is going every which way.
What is it about?
Connelly explores the (mostly British) obsession with weather - weather talk, weather forecasts, etc. - and the history of how people tried to investigate, harness, and predict the weather.
What did I think?
Like the author, I come from (and live in) a country where people cannot go a day without discussing the weather. There is just so much of it: rain, fog, wind, sun (?), clouds, drizzle, thunder, snow, ice, sleet... sometimes all within one hour. I've remarked something about the weather (ranging from "It's freezing!" to "Gorgeous out!") probably every single day of my adult life. And as every western European I'm incredibly skeptical about the weather forecast, but also follow it religiously.
Now, of course I wanted to know more about all these different weather-types, and whether it's actually possible to predict them at all. Connelly provided me with some quirky history lessons, some toned-down science lessons, some fun trips (one to the weather station on Valentia Island, Ireland, which I now really want to see), and all that was definitely enjoyable. However, I missed a more in-depth discussion of how the weather 'works'. This might have been outside of the scope of the book, but it does make the reading of it somewhat frustrating. In the end, I just took 'Bring me Sunshine' for what it was: a fun ('quirky British'), light-hearted book about our shared obsession.
Rating
3.5 stars / 7- out of 10
Non-fiction ranking 2023: 25/31
What is it about?
Connelly explores the (mostly British) obsession with weather - weather talk, weather forecasts, etc. - and the history of how people tried to investigate, harness, and predict the weather.
What did I think?
Like the author, I come from (and live in) a country where people cannot go a day without discussing the weather. There is just so much of it: rain, fog, wind, sun (?), clouds, drizzle, thunder, snow, ice, sleet... sometimes all within one hour. I've remarked something about the weather (ranging from "It's freezing!" to "Gorgeous out!") probably every single day of my adult life. And as every western European I'm incredibly skeptical about the weather forecast, but also follow it religiously.
Now, of course I wanted to know more about all these different weather-types, and whether it's actually possible to predict them at all. Connelly provided me with some quirky history lessons, some toned-down science lessons, some fun trips (one to the weather station on Valentia Island, Ireland, which I now really want to see), and all that was definitely enjoyable. However, I missed a more in-depth discussion of how the weather 'works'. This might have been outside of the scope of the book, but it does make the reading of it somewhat frustrating. In the end, I just took 'Bring me Sunshine' for what it was: a fun ('quirky British'), light-hearted book about our shared obsession.
Rating
3.5 stars / 7- out of 10
Non-fiction ranking 2023: 25/31
April 25, 2013
This was a fairly entertaining book, written in a light-hearted and easy style.
I thought the subtitle of the book which described it as a guide to the weather was slightly misleading. I assumed this meant that most of the book would be just that - a guide to the British weather and what creates conditions such as fog, lightning etc. Whilst these subjects were very briefly covered, most of the book is concerned with people behind the weather, such as Francis Beaufort, creator of the Beaufort Scale.
Some of the stories were intriguing and interesting, but on the whole I found the book a bit of a struggle to finish at times.
Some interesting facts, but not really the book I thought it would be!
I thought the subtitle of the book which described it as a guide to the weather was slightly misleading. I assumed this meant that most of the book would be just that - a guide to the British weather and what creates conditions such as fog, lightning etc. Whilst these subjects were very briefly covered, most of the book is concerned with people behind the weather, such as Francis Beaufort, creator of the Beaufort Scale.
Some of the stories were intriguing and interesting, but on the whole I found the book a bit of a struggle to finish at times.
Some interesting facts, but not really the book I thought it would be!
August 17, 2014
Maybe I've been spoiled by having read Attention All Shipping as the first book I read by Charlie Connelly, because I remember that as total brilliance. Bring Me Sunshine is very interesting, brilliantly written in the chatty style that characterises Connelly's other books but it didn't quite grab me in the same way.
Having said that - 4 stars means this comes highly recommended, especially to those of us (British?) who love to know about weather.
Although I do feel it incumbent on me to point out here - as I do every time it rains where i live (not England) when everyone says "oh it must be just like being at home for you" - that average rainfall per square metre in Germany is higher than that in England.
Having said that - 4 stars means this comes highly recommended, especially to those of us (British?) who love to know about weather.
Although I do feel it incumbent on me to point out here - as I do every time it rains where i live (not England) when everyone says "oh it must be just like being at home for you" - that average rainfall per square metre in Germany is higher than that in England.
December 12, 2022
Connolly takes a light-hearted look at the weather, a subject that is seemingly fascinating to most people in the UK. It is an enjoyable read with interesting snippets about our weather are not so obvious, which I found very interesting and informative. Th author also profiles several people who studies the weather and who subsequently influenced the terminology used, and advanced the art of weather forecasting. Recommended as an interesting read to anyone who would like to understand more about our weather, and who enjoys Connolly light touch in writing about the subject.
October 14, 2012
A perfectly pleasant read, but a hundred pages too ,long. Lots of nice tales about people important to the development of meteorology, But it needed more structure.
December 16, 2012
This was OK, a mix of fact and anecdote. Sort of informative and then a bit boring at times, maybe too much waffle. More weather prediction history than a guide to the weather.
July 22, 2015
This wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be based on previous books by this author. It seemed to contain quite a lot of padding. But still some very good stuff in there
December 20, 2019
Interesting weather tales
August 21, 2016
promised so much more than it delivered.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews