Rain

For such a wide topic as rain, Cynthia Barnett manages to tie this together. Her book “Rain” feels more like a collection of magazine articles than a book, but there are reoccurring characters, important facts and developments, and the last chapter, a sort of review, comes full circle. Much more for fans of history than those simply interested in the science, this book is brimming with factoids and stories, in clear, easy to read sentences. For example, “ombrophobia” is the fear of rain, and “pluvial” is the Latin word for rain. We read about why our fingers wrinkle up when they get wet, and where “cloud nine” as well as more technical terms like “forecast” came from.