Lev Parikian is a writer I really resonate with - someone who is interested in nature and the world around them (both immediately local and in general) but a bit haphazard and bumbling.
The idea of splitting 2020 up into the small Japanses seasons (as well as the four main seasons, each of these is divided down so you can mark them moving forward in a smaller way) is genius - it was such an odd year both weather-wise and because of the pandemic and Light Rain Sometimes Fall helps to mark this. Time seemed to crawl and rush by in weird ways in 2020 and by splitting the year into 72 smaller seasons Parikian really captures how this felt.

The other think I really liked about this book was that Parikian looked new things/words/phenomena up and wanted to share this knowledge however unlikely it is to be of use to any one - I do this all the time and this really made the books seem just right. There have been a lot of books about nature and 2020 that I've read and enjoyed to some degree but this shoots very quickly to the top of my best of 2021 list.

An enjoyable look at a year in a town in London by a local naturalist in the midst of the pandemic. Reads like a well written detailed journal with bits of humor about the things the author observes while out and about. The author describes all of the boots that catches his eye in such a way that the reader can visualize the biodiversity of the authors neighborhood.

Fascinating! Beautiful concept and execution. I loved learning more about both Japanese and British culture and works view through the seasons. Very well done. Loved it.

'Light Rains Sometimes Fall' is a great book for winding down to. Premised on the Japanese approach of 72 "microseasons", Parikian weaves his own 72 microseasons from the urban wildlife of London, encouraging us to slow down and appreciate the nature so close to us.

Owing to when the book was written, the microseasons mainly overlap with the 2020 lockdowns, lending an urgency to draw solace from the natural world that you can palpably feel as a reader. Most of Parikian's writing is pure observation, though he throws in morsels of natural history from time to time. His style is affable and inviting, and I found the book really enjoyable to dip into at the end of each day. Due to its nature, it didn't have the narrative drive to keep me slavishly turning the pages, but it was nevertheless a delightful foray into London's wild wonders.

(With thanks to Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)

Okay, so I'm not a bird watcher, a nature fan or much of a gardener. Admittedly, the only reason I requested this ARC was because it referenced Japanese seasons on such a pretty front cover.

I thought it would have lots of poetic info on Japan's seasons in relation to ours in Britain - there is an element of this, with a great explanation of their 72 micro seasons and each beautiful chapter title. However, don't go into this expecting to read majoritively about Japan.

HOWEVER I also didn't expect to laugh so much. Honestly, I was stopping every five minutes to read out another witty line to my partner. Not only is there a great deal of well-written humour - the overall style is poetic, lyrical and full of relatable, personal experiences on a small and large scale.

Some bits made me feel really sad - his mention of being glad at the goldcrest's song as he knew age would one day mean he couldn't hear it. Some moments were really touching - picking out the small details of the sun on flowers, the colours or songs of particular birds. Some of it was quite distressing - he takes us through his experience from just before the start of lockdown in 2020, a year that has shaken us all.

But in his small weekly musings, there is a great deal of joy and beauty to be found. Parikian encourages us to notice the world around us and appreciate every single moment of wonder it offers up. He balances the worry with humour and hope.

I was really wowed by this book, being completely not what I expected, but I look forward to getting the hardback when it's out, and probably his other works too! I'll certainly spend more time enjoy the songs of the birds

Thanks to @NetGalley and @levparikian for the chance to enjoy this brilliant eARC in exchange for an honest review.