The Book of Clouds

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Sometimes she feels alienated from the city, sometimes cautiously assimilated, but always the weight of history presses in- as when she tours the infamous subterranean "Gestapo bowling alley", part psychic horror, part tourist trap ("Nazi, Stasi, what's the difference," shrugs the guide), or loses her bearings among the concrete slabs of the Holocaust memorial; or investigates ghostly noises coming from the empty apartment upstairs. The Cloudspotter’s Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney touches on the science, history, and culture of clouds. A supremely boring book that postures like that’s one of its selling points—that the reader’s experience trudging through the mud of its pseudo-academic “big ideas” (unreconciled histories, imagined etymology of weather phenomena [wtf? Still, this is a minor complaint about a book that has so much to recommend it, not least its ability to convey both actual and distorted realities at once.

There are plenty of those in Berlin, both from the Nazi and the Communist era, buildings in which people were imprisoned or tortured, now converted into schools, apartment buildings and water towers. With this at-a-glance guide to the clouds anywhere in the world, on land or at sea, you will be able to predict the weather by recognising cloud types, shapes, colours and behaviour. Going home to Mexico] "The only way to move on is to avoid sentimentality about the past, especially the recent past, which will always try to reclaim you.I enjoyed the parts of life in Germany as I could so closely relate; however, at times it was also tedious because I felt like I was reading about parts of my every day life which I try to escape through reading!

In some ways her alienation makes her an even more accurate observer than a “normal” person would be, because she focuses excessively on the ghosts who are not present as well as the strangers who are — and that, too, is part of the real Berlin. And Eileen Battersby, Literary Correspondent of The Irish Times, has written: "AND NOW for something completely different: Chloe Aridjis brings a bit of realism, a bit of wonder, a hint of darkness and true originality to this sharp, lyric and beguilingly strange tale of a life in flux. And it is there when she finally realizes that these shadows not only haunt cities and spaces but our imaginations as well. My missus was given this as a present by a friend who'd recently moved back to London, having spent six months in Berlin. If you’ve decided you want to know more about clouds, picking up the right book is a great first step!Rarely have I read anything with such turgid prose, frankly laughable symbolism and utterly laughable description. History plays a major role in the book, particularly the dark stories that lurk beneath the surface. Richard Hamblyn explores the notable presence of clouds in literature and the arts (including music and sculpture) while outlining their growing scientific significance in the context of climate change. He takes it further than understanding the science of clouds and explores the history, art, and pop culture surrounding clouds. It might be a better choice for an early reader than an early listener, but it has good, age-appropriate information.

Then there’s Tatiana’s occasional lover, a meteorologist from the former East Berlin who’s idea of a fun date activity is playing hide and seek among . Book of Clouds" soars and shimmers through its assured writing, whimsical observations and its sheer ease.

It's not just that Tatiana sees and feels and hears ghosts; every action, every thought, every word seems haunted by the past and the horrors of humanity.