The Cloudspotter's Guide

This book is so very lush. Gavin has written a book that is funny, informative, scientific, romantic and employs a beautiful wry use of the English language all at the same time. The book tells you about the different characters in the cloud family, I swear, I learnt more reading the first few chapters of this book than I did in all my geography lessons at school about weather. So you have the low clouds the middle cloudsand the high clouds, and then there are a few chapters on the other types of cloud. It is filled with fantastic pictures & diagrams to help with the science bits and lush braindance facts about clouds in art, music and brilliant random stories.
Like the one cloud porn painting by Correggio (1530's) called Jupiter and Io. Jupiter, the Roman name for the Greek god Zeus does not want to get caught having the sexy time with a mortal called Io, who was Hera's priestess, Hera being his wife, so he disguises himself as a dark cloud whilst getting his ravaging on. The story about the pilot, William Rankin that fell through the bad ass cloud cumulonimbus for 40 minutes is also unbelievable. His body was mash up, but he survived. The picture of him in the book after the fall is so piercing, the look in his eyes tells you he has seen and felt things we probably never will.He even has a colour section in the middle called name that cloud, a beautifully simple way of seeing if the information is sinking in without any patronizing from Gavin at all. I loved it. The best cloud though has to be the morning glory cloud that rolls over Australia once a year. 600 Miles long, you can cloud surf if you have a glider. How good? It is on my top ten things to do before becoming a fat old lady list. After reading this book, I joined the online cloud appreciation society. http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/
It is a lush website, really interactive and friendly. I think the society's manifesto proves this:

We believe that clouds are unjustly maligned and that life would be immeasurably poorer without them.

We think that clouds are Nature's poetry, and the most egalitarian of her displays, since everyone can have a fantastic view of them.

We pledge to fight 'blue sky thinking' wherever we find it. Life would be dull if we had to look up at cloudless monotony day after day.

we seek to remind people that clouds are expressions of the atmosphere's moods, and can be read like those of a person's countenance.

We believe that clouds are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul. Indeed, all who consider the shapes they see within them will save on psychoanalysis bills.

And so, we say to all who'll listen:

Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and live life with your head in the clouds.

I love this next picture taken of clouds from the edge of space.