A Sideways Look at Clouds...Launching Tomorrow

Clouds will be rolling in to Olympia Friday night! Join me to celebrate A Sideways Look at Clouds, my new natural-history memoir published by Mountaineers Books. The evening will include a few words and a book reading by me, Q&A by you and me, book sales by Olympia’s fabulous Browsers Bookshop, cloud-themed food (see menu below). And lots of clouds. 

Greetings Friends! One last reminder to join me to celebrate A Sideways Look at Clouds, my new natural-history memoir published by Mountaineers Books. The evening will include a introduction to my book, Q&A, book sales by Olympia’s fabulous Browsers Bookshop, cloud-themed food (see menu below). And lots of clouds. Hope to see you there!

REFRESHING BEVERAGES

Cloud Break wines, Fish Tale Organic IPA, sparkling water, ginger ale.

NIBBLES

Everybody Loves Pink Clouds (White Bean & Roaster Red Pepper Dip)

Cumulus Humilis (L’il Baguette slices) 

Cumulus Mediocris (Middle-sized Cloud-Shaped Jicama Slices)

Cumulus Congestus (A “mature cloud” of Blanched Cauliflower Florets)

Let’s Talk About Convection (Popcorn)

Mix of Sun and Clouds (Fresh Mozarella with SunGold Tomatoes)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Meatballs in Ginger-Soy Glaze)

Fair Weather Cumulus (Assorted Cheeses in Lofty Shapes, some with Condensation Nucleii) 

Stratocumulus Nonglutenus (Layers of Almond Crackers)

Sweet Rain (Shortbread Cloud-Shaped Cookies with Blue Sprinkles)

iCloud (Indescribably Delicious Puffs of Meringue)

PARKING

The Eagles Ballroom is at 805 4th Ave E (at Plum St.) in Olympia. There is free on-street parking on 4th and Pear St. (the most convenient). There are a few spaces in the Eagle's Ballroom lot just north of the building off 4th Ave. AND at Always Safe & Lock off 4th Ave just north of Plum. AND in the larger parking lot of the Lottery Administrative HQ on the north side of 4th east of Plum. Here is a link to a map.

If you cannot attend, please visit Browsers Bookshop in downtown Olympia to purchase your copy! Browsers will even shipped signed/inscribed copies to all your out-of-town friends and family! A Sideways Look at Clouds is also available at other brick-and-mortar bookstores (chains and indies) as well as through online booksellers, including Mountaineers Books.

"Delightful" says Library Journal!

"Author Ruth (Rare Bird), who has penned nature books for adults and children, here turns her eyes to the sky in this delightful exposition on clouds. As a new resident of the Pacific Northwest, Ruth was surprised that her friends and neighbors didn't know much about the weather they experienced daily. Beginning with the word cloud, the author explores the mythology around the origin and meaning of the word. Ruth presents her own simplified definition based on numerous textbook characterizations. She then examines each aspect of that definition, from mass to visibility to water and air. Readers will learn about glories, lennies, caps, and sundogs as well as how clouds are seeded, formed on other planets, and created by human activity. Ruth describes the science behind cloud formation, movement, and identification clearly for general audiences; her personal experiences and asides enrich the well-explained technical details.

VERDICT A great recommendation for popular science readers, this book will also appeal to those who enjoy memoirs and learning about the writing process.—Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib."

Sideways Plus #1: +Prologue+

This is the first of my "Plus" posts I'll be sharing over the next few months. Each weekly post will feature a brief excerpt from each chapter of my just-published natural history-memoir, A Sideways Look at Clouds...PLUS...illustrations and links to resources to enhance your reading. 

Why am I doing this? Because my book is not a field guide nor does it have a set glossy photographs of the clouds and places I discuss in my book. And because I have so very many photographs of the the clouds to show you to make you love the clouds even more.

Here is the first Plus post. Hope you enjoy this as an accompaniment (and not a Spark-Notes-like substitute for my book). 

Prologue: A Guide to the Sky

"I did not expect to be swept off my feet by clouds, although I should have seen it coming a few years earlier, on the day I began house hunting in the Pacific Northwest. My family and I had been living in sunny, often scorching Southern California for five years...One glorious September afternoon I flew into Seattle, rented a car, and headed south on Interstate 5 toward Olympia. Rounding a curve, I noticed a massive pile-up of white clouds billowing up from the horizon. I squeezed the steering wheel, leaned into the windshield for a bigger view, and said out loud and loudly, "I've missed you guys!"

from Page 11: "How could I turn my back on these clouds and the invitation to look up?" This is the poster that inspired me to write my book. Want your own Guide to the Sky? Click here to order this brand new edition of the poster from the photographer/author Art Rangno.

"Mackerel Skies" (Altocumulus perlucidus)

"Mare's Tails" (Cirrus uncinus)

"Thunderhead" (Cumulonimbus)

Talkin' Clouds on Thursday

Join me this Thursday, September 21, for a live Mountaineers Books webinar. I'll be talking about my new book, A Sideways Look at Clouds, providing you some tips on how to talk about clouds, sharing some photos of spectacular clouds, and answering your most pressing cloud questions.  All you need is a computer to register here and to watch the webinar from the comfort of your own home, office, bucket seat.

The webinar starts at 7 p.m. (PDT). Perfect timing for dinner with the clouds if you're on the west coast. On the East Coast? How about a Cloudy Happy Hour at 4 p.m.?

Busy Thursday? Use this link to request a link to the recorded webinar for viewing later. This webinar is co-sponsored by Black Hills Audubon Society (my local chapter in Olympia, WA). 

Don't have an hour?  Check out this video trailer for A Sideways Look at Clouds.

Don't have a minute? Order your copy of A Sideways Look at Clouds directly from Mountaineers Books. Books are also available on Amazon (Kindle and print) Powell's, Barnes and Noble and your favorite indie bookseller. If you'd like a signed/inscribed copy shipped to you, contact Browsers Bookshop in Olympia.

Got no time at all? Just look up next time you're outside. You might see this: