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The Accidental Weatherman
Accidental Weatherman is the story of what happens when a hilarious Adelaide boy who knows nothing about meteorology scores the coveted weatherman gig on the highest rating breakfast TV show in Australia.
As the Sunrise weatherman, Sam Mac has bungee jumped, swum with sharks, got his cat on the cover of Pussweek magazine, taken his mum to the Logies when he was nominated for gold, stripped naked for The Real Full Monty and even recorded a song with The Wiggles. But, ultimately, his job is about people - from primary schoolers to pensioners, Sam's gift is how he connects with them all. He uses heart and humour in his role on Sunrise to introduce viewers to the true characters of Australia. He prides himself on bringing awareness to causes such as mental health and animal rescue, and on championing underdogs who might need a hand up or a shout out. His genuine nature and open-book approach to social media has won him hundreds of thousands of fans along the way - although even he would admit that many of them only like him for his cat Coco (who is rapidly catching up to him in Instagram followers).
After presenting more than 25 000 minutes of live TV in over 800 different Australian towns, Sam really has seen the absolute best of Australia, and it's brought out the best in him.
As the Sunrise weatherman, Sam Mac has bungee jumped, swum with sharks, got his cat on the cover of Pussweek magazine, taken his mum to the Logies when he was nominated for gold, stripped naked for The Real Full Monty and even recorded a song with The Wiggles. But, ultimately, his job is about people - from primary schoolers to pensioners, Sam's gift is how he connects with them all. He uses heart and humour in his role on Sunrise to introduce viewers to the true characters of Australia. He prides himself on bringing awareness to causes such as mental health and animal rescue, and on championing underdogs who might need a hand up or a shout out. His genuine nature and open-book approach to social media has won him hundreds of thousands of fans along the way - although even he would admit that many of them only like him for his cat Coco (who is rapidly catching up to him in Instagram followers).
After presenting more than 25 000 minutes of live TV in over 800 different Australian towns, Sam really has seen the absolute best of Australia, and it's brought out the best in him.
- GenresBiography
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2021
13 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 6, 2021
I do not know how to rate this one - I don’t know that I will.
I want to give it 5 stars cos I like Sam Mac, I like what he stands for! So I really wanted to LOVE his book.
The story literally made me laugh and cry in places.
But - as a published text … it read like a Year 10 had written it for an English assignment.
So I’ll leave it unrated!
No, I won’t (I always write my little reviews and leave them a day or two to make sure they are fair - similar to the way in which I’d mark a Year 10 assignment).
3 stars!
I want to give it 5 stars cos I like Sam Mac, I like what he stands for! So I really wanted to LOVE his book.
The story literally made me laugh and cry in places.
But - as a published text … it read like a Year 10 had written it for an English assignment.
So I’ll leave it unrated!
No, I won’t (I always write my little reviews and leave them a day or two to make sure they are fair - similar to the way in which I’d mark a Year 10 assignment).
3 stars!
August 4, 2021
This is book has moments of hilarity and sadness, and emotions in between. Sure some of the segments are Sam Mac appearing egotistical, but are there any memoirs that aren’t?
If you’ve followed Sam Mac on Sunrise, you’ll get more out of it than I did, having not watched breakfast television for many years (kids and work). I’ve seen bits and pieces of him and watched when he first came on to Sunrise and on social media. But he describes the moments well enough for those who haven’t seen it already on television.
Sam Mac seems like a nice genuine guy, and I’d love to meet him in person.
If you’ve followed Sam Mac on Sunrise, you’ll get more out of it than I did, having not watched breakfast television for many years (kids and work). I’ve seen bits and pieces of him and watched when he first came on to Sunrise and on social media. But he describes the moments well enough for those who haven’t seen it already on television.
Sam Mac seems like a nice genuine guy, and I’d love to meet him in person.
September 28, 2021
I have to admit I had never heard of Sam Mac when I picked up his book. I think the cat on the cover is what drew me to read it. But so glad I did read. Loved reading all the comical stories and also the emotional stories about his friend Richard and mental health. Thanks Sam Mac for sharing some of your life in this book.
May 2, 2021
Laughed. Cried. Loved.
August 22, 2021
Loved it !
Bought on a recommendation of Leigh Sales & Annabel Crabb not knowing anything about Sam. A genuinely funny warm read 😊
Bought on a recommendation of Leigh Sales & Annabel Crabb not knowing anything about Sam. A genuinely funny warm read 😊
November 14, 2021
Soul food. That’s what this book is. It completely surprised me, in the best way possible.
I’ll be honest… when two of my book club members selected this book by a TV weatherman about how he landed the role on one of Australia’s leading morning shows and the experiences he’s had meeting people and visiting places, I can’t say I was overly excited. But I fell under Sam Mac’s spell almost immediately and would easily rate this as one of my top reads this year.
Yes, it’s predictably light. Lots of jokey humour and entertaining stories. But it’s so much more than that. A couple of moving and powerful chapters deal with heavy content and pull hard on the heartstrings. It takes a lot to make me cry. This book almost got me.
I finished Accidental Weatherman in one day and it was the perfect antidote as I recovered from surgery. Uplifting, heart-warming, laugh-out-loud funny and emotional - it delivers all the feels. Aussie readers will enjoy it the most because they’ll identify with the personalities and locations that are featured, but it’s a great book for anyone looking to overdose on good vibes and positivity.
I highly recommend the Audible version, as it includes recordings of TV and audio clips, plus the passion in Sam’s story-telling comes to life in a way that’s impossible in print.
While I didn’t start out excited, I’m now eagerly looking forward to my book club meeting on Thursday, which Sam has kindly agreed to dial into via Zoom.
From one crazy cat person to another, thanks for the feel-good read @sammacinsta
A welcome reminder of the best of humanity and the power of kindness.
I’ll be honest… when two of my book club members selected this book by a TV weatherman about how he landed the role on one of Australia’s leading morning shows and the experiences he’s had meeting people and visiting places, I can’t say I was overly excited. But I fell under Sam Mac’s spell almost immediately and would easily rate this as one of my top reads this year.
Yes, it’s predictably light. Lots of jokey humour and entertaining stories. But it’s so much more than that. A couple of moving and powerful chapters deal with heavy content and pull hard on the heartstrings. It takes a lot to make me cry. This book almost got me.
I finished Accidental Weatherman in one day and it was the perfect antidote as I recovered from surgery. Uplifting, heart-warming, laugh-out-loud funny and emotional - it delivers all the feels. Aussie readers will enjoy it the most because they’ll identify with the personalities and locations that are featured, but it’s a great book for anyone looking to overdose on good vibes and positivity.
I highly recommend the Audible version, as it includes recordings of TV and audio clips, plus the passion in Sam’s story-telling comes to life in a way that’s impossible in print.
While I didn’t start out excited, I’m now eagerly looking forward to my book club meeting on Thursday, which Sam has kindly agreed to dial into via Zoom.
From one crazy cat person to another, thanks for the feel-good read @sammacinsta
A welcome reminder of the best of humanity and the power of kindness.
January 13, 2022
Well, what can I say about Sam Mac’s book Accidental Weatherman? It was just like what I imagined a conversation with him would be. This book is funny, sad, irreverent, heart-warming, respectful, and many, many other descriptive words that could put here, but won’t as I would run out of space.
Sam Mac wrote a book that was very easy to read, it had me laughing in one chapter and the next my husband was asking me what was wrong as the tears rolled down my face. I didn’t know what to expect when I picked it up to read, how does a person like Sam put himself into a book? Well, he did it!
Sam has a way of making people he meets, feel like they are very important to him. He shared some very funny stories about events that happened to him, like being part of the Full Monty which had him stripping bare to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer in men, and meeting some very special people who have touched his life and in turn touched mine.
If you enjoy watching him on morning tv, and you have a few hours to spare, then pick up a copy of this wonderful book, and take an emotional journey, even if you read it one chapter at a time. Oh, and his cat Coco plays a large part in his life, he tells how Coco shows just what it takes to be a real star!
The feeling that I am left with now that the book is complete is of gratitude, that he has shared parts of his life with me, his passion for mental health and animal rescue.
I highly recommend Accidental Weatherman to all, young and old and everyone in between.
Sam Mac wrote a book that was very easy to read, it had me laughing in one chapter and the next my husband was asking me what was wrong as the tears rolled down my face. I didn’t know what to expect when I picked it up to read, how does a person like Sam put himself into a book? Well, he did it!
Sam has a way of making people he meets, feel like they are very important to him. He shared some very funny stories about events that happened to him, like being part of the Full Monty which had him stripping bare to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer in men, and meeting some very special people who have touched his life and in turn touched mine.
If you enjoy watching him on morning tv, and you have a few hours to spare, then pick up a copy of this wonderful book, and take an emotional journey, even if you read it one chapter at a time. Oh, and his cat Coco plays a large part in his life, he tells how Coco shows just what it takes to be a real star!
The feeling that I am left with now that the book is complete is of gratitude, that he has shared parts of his life with me, his passion for mental health and animal rescue.
I highly recommend Accidental Weatherman to all, young and old and everyone in between.
May 2, 2021
Like many (most?) Australians, I absolutely love waking up each morning to see what Sam Mac is up to on Sunrise. So, when he revealed that he was writing a book, I HAD to pre-order straight away!!
Sam's buoyant personality shines through in 𝙰𝚌𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚆𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗- I found myself cracking up several times whilst reading! Among the corkers are some really touching moments that had me close to tears.
Well done Sam for writing such an enjoyable first book and sharing what is most important to you.
Follow Sam on @sammacinsta. He's hilarious. And loves cats: added bonus.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Sam's buoyant personality shines through in 𝙰𝚌𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚆𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗- I found myself cracking up several times whilst reading! Among the corkers are some really touching moments that had me close to tears.
Well done Sam for writing such an enjoyable first book and sharing what is most important to you.
Follow Sam on @sammacinsta. He's hilarious. And loves cats: added bonus.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
August 8, 2021
This is a light read but it had more substance than I expected. I don’t watch Sunrise but I do enjoy his Insta posts. He is creative and seeks to bring fun and laughter to people which is a good thing. He has good values and supports some important causes particularly mental health. A good time to read it now.
January 19, 2022
Accidental Weatherman to Accidental Author with the same success. A great read when on holidays - takes you out of your ordinary existence and allows you to join Sam in his travels. Sam states his knowledge of meteorology is minimal but he has become a popular weatherman - I wish him the same success in his literary career!
May 1, 2022
I hedged between giving it 3 or 4 stars. I follow Sam Mac on IG and find him hilarious. So, I expected more of the same from his book. And while it was easy to read and beautifully touching in parts, it just didn’t quite hit the mark. There were some really funny parts and his personality did shine through which is why I ended up going with a 4.
July 31, 2021
What a fun and positive book! I’m not a Sunrise viewer but maybe one one. What a breath of fresh air Sam Mac is. I loved the book and the importance he places on connecting to people and his dedication to putting himself out there. What a special man!
January 17, 2022
I truly laughed my way through this book. I shed a few tears also. Sam Mac is definitely one funny human. He also has a kind heart and is using his platform on Sunrise to bring joy to the world. A very easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed.
May 12, 2021
I enjoyed this book only wish he had more to write about and made the book go longer well done Sam
June 9, 2021
Made me laugh out loud and cry! Sam Mac sees the best in everyone and enjoys the simple things …. He brings so much happiness to Australia - recommend following him on Insta - daily laugh !
July 26, 2021
This book was so down to earth. Both funny and heartwarming. This book made me laugh and cry. Sam always manages to put a smile on your face though.
August 15, 2021
Hilarious. Entertaining. Brilliant. So easy to read - within 24 hours.
September 7, 2021
Audiobook. Sam Mac sounds like he has an exhausting job and lifestyle as Sunrise weatherman but comes across a genuine if superhumanly chipper person.
September 26, 2021
I laughed, I cried and I laughed again..he’s a lovely guy.
October 2, 2021
I don't mind Sam Mac as the weather presenter, although Eddy wa definitely cuter. A nice insight into Sam's life. A good little read
October 2, 2021
Amazing couldn't have been read by anyone else. It wouldn't have been right
October 22, 2021
A very wholesome book
January 22, 2022
Very uplifting, he’s a great guy.
April 2, 2022
Loved every page!
June 22, 2022
Very good book by the sunrise weatherman himself.
January 5, 2023
ok, very light but interesting
May 27, 2023
3 stars
March 8, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining; I love Sam Mac.
November 8, 2021
Only my second autobiography, entertaining, making me both laugh and cry at times. Writing style was a bit cringe at times. But you could tell Sam wrote it. Just a happy, not to serious story telling.
June 28, 2021
Behind-the-scenes look at the life of a morning show weatherman. Meaning, light on weather and heavy on antics! While I've never seen this morning show and hadn't heard of Sam before this (I'm from the US. I'm all about Al Roker), I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about him and his job. I'd probably kill him if we were related (enough with the surprises!!) but he's authentic, genuine, and as kind a human as you'd want to meet. Anyone who loves rescue animals is my kind of people. A nice, light read about an interesting person and I laughed out loud a few times.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews