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Mostly Sunny: How I Learned to Keep Smiling through the Rainiest Days
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.
Sometimes you have to make your own sunshine.
When Janice Dean debuted on Imus in the Morning, she was bubbly, clever, and charismatic. When Imus mocked her intelligence and looks, she gave as good as she got. She had achieved the dream she’d had since being a reporter on TV. So why wasn’t she happy?
She had just moved to New York from Canada with no family, no friends, and no boyfriend. Her boss was a notorious jerk, and the gap between her on-air persona and real life had never been bigger. In the decade that followed, how did she turn it all around?
Now she is the beloved full-time meteorologist on Fox and Friends, surrounded by wonderful people, and has a line of children’s books and a beautiful family. When she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she was ready. She survived attacks, adversity, and a business controlled by ruthless men. She knows how love, counting your blessings, and having a good therapist can get you through more than you would expect.
In this honest yet optimistic book, Janice reveals obstacles she’s faced that could have severely impacted any professional woman’s career, from online trolls to health issues to abusive and sexist bosses. In Mostly Sunny she talks about it all, including the fateful meeting with her firefighting husband after he lost his colleagues on 9/11 and how the pressure on women in television led her to a cosmetic procedure that could have ended her career.
But no matter what storms blow her way, Janice refuses to let setbacks and challenges rain on her parade or cloud her outlook. Thanks to supportive coworkers and an upbeat attitude, she’s mastered turning countless would-be losses into victories. The funny, sweet, and wise Janice Dean you see on TV is now the real Janice Dean, and she’s on every page of her book, sharing her secrets and making your own forecast a little brighter.
Sometimes you have to make your own sunshine.
When Janice Dean debuted on Imus in the Morning, she was bubbly, clever, and charismatic. When Imus mocked her intelligence and looks, she gave as good as she got. She had achieved the dream she’d had since being a reporter on TV. So why wasn’t she happy?
She had just moved to New York from Canada with no family, no friends, and no boyfriend. Her boss was a notorious jerk, and the gap between her on-air persona and real life had never been bigger. In the decade that followed, how did she turn it all around?
Now she is the beloved full-time meteorologist on Fox and Friends, surrounded by wonderful people, and has a line of children’s books and a beautiful family. When she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she was ready. She survived attacks, adversity, and a business controlled by ruthless men. She knows how love, counting your blessings, and having a good therapist can get you through more than you would expect.
In this honest yet optimistic book, Janice reveals obstacles she’s faced that could have severely impacted any professional woman’s career, from online trolls to health issues to abusive and sexist bosses. In Mostly Sunny she talks about it all, including the fateful meeting with her firefighting husband after he lost his colleagues on 9/11 and how the pressure on women in television led her to a cosmetic procedure that could have ended her career.
But no matter what storms blow her way, Janice refuses to let setbacks and challenges rain on her parade or cloud her outlook. Thanks to supportive coworkers and an upbeat attitude, she’s mastered turning countless would-be losses into victories. The funny, sweet, and wise Janice Dean you see on TV is now the real Janice Dean, and she’s on every page of her book, sharing her secrets and making your own forecast a little brighter.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2019
291 people are currently reading
534 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
March 17, 2019
I was happily reading my book club book when I got distracted by a shiny object. That object was Janice Dean’s memoir, Mostly Sunny. I was just going to see what it was all about so I decided to read just a few pages. Bad move! I devoured it in less than a day. This book tells the story of a truly courageous woman. All the struggles and achievements in her life are told with an honest and compassionate grace. Thank you for sharing your life with us, Janice. You are amazing!
Now back to my regularly scheduled programming ...
Now back to my regularly scheduled programming ...
April 14, 2019
This is a chatty autobiography filled with name dropping. Janice Dean notes and details in minutia her early life, career choice and path with all the stops that lead her to doing weather on Fox.
It's quite a poignant window into the periods of crisis and adversity. First within dicey living arrangements (she was assaulted in her rented flat during her first youngest "gap year" type of radio internship) and a rather roaming / moving for locations for gigs or schooling from Canada to various USA spots. But quite beyond that and the infamous IMUS run- there is the MS prognosis in the early years of this century while she was on a short vacation back to Ottawa. They told her to go back to the USA immediately and enter a protocol for MS progressions and testing. Which she did. And it came right after her "best" job in her life was barely beginning.
Every harassment experience and friendship she experienced along the way is detailed quite well. Roger Ailes was minor compared to some "peers". But she is exact in her conversation habits remembered well for specific reasons. And also for me, the entire last few chapters lost a star in the Botox and other facial/ neck plastic surgery minutia. It was super honest, but that and all the therapist interchange and thankfulness? It was too much for others to know? Maybe, as with her medical OB/GYN stories-over abundance of personal biology than some readers think should be shared? Maybe not. But for me it lost a star to noting and her tones for a kind of superficiality in her "looks" judgments etc. And also the "online" troll retorts advising were padding- she is barely 49 and has lived in Manhattan for eons now. Very much the elite despite her "down" home girl chatter.
Some real shockers were revealed. I can't picture Donna Leon of Brunetti ownership fame to be a mentor for this ultimate long term American English Janice Dean style. But it's actual and she is. Also there are other unusual friendships shared throughout the years, especially with those who have elevated and supported with such emotional encouragement toward her MS experience and issues. Like Neil Cavuto.
Photos were good to excellent. Better than some of the prose. Steven Tyler and Lynyrd Skynyrd among them. Not too shabby!
I enjoyed the read overall and it was intriguing to hear about this world from the "inside-out" so to speak. Just my opinion and nothing else- but I think she plays the ditsy blonde out of some insecurities and truly isn't at all. She holds good intent nearly universally. Except maybe for Imus.
He sounds exactly like the boss from hell I've had more than once myself.
It's quite a poignant window into the periods of crisis and adversity. First within dicey living arrangements (she was assaulted in her rented flat during her first youngest "gap year" type of radio internship) and a rather roaming / moving for locations for gigs or schooling from Canada to various USA spots. But quite beyond that and the infamous IMUS run- there is the MS prognosis in the early years of this century while she was on a short vacation back to Ottawa. They told her to go back to the USA immediately and enter a protocol for MS progressions and testing. Which she did. And it came right after her "best" job in her life was barely beginning.
Every harassment experience and friendship she experienced along the way is detailed quite well. Roger Ailes was minor compared to some "peers". But she is exact in her conversation habits remembered well for specific reasons. And also for me, the entire last few chapters lost a star in the Botox and other facial/ neck plastic surgery minutia. It was super honest, but that and all the therapist interchange and thankfulness? It was too much for others to know? Maybe, as with her medical OB/GYN stories-over abundance of personal biology than some readers think should be shared? Maybe not. But for me it lost a star to noting and her tones for a kind of superficiality in her "looks" judgments etc. And also the "online" troll retorts advising were padding- she is barely 49 and has lived in Manhattan for eons now. Very much the elite despite her "down" home girl chatter.
Some real shockers were revealed. I can't picture Donna Leon of Brunetti ownership fame to be a mentor for this ultimate long term American English Janice Dean style. But it's actual and she is. Also there are other unusual friendships shared throughout the years, especially with those who have elevated and supported with such emotional encouragement toward her MS experience and issues. Like Neil Cavuto.
Photos were good to excellent. Better than some of the prose. Steven Tyler and Lynyrd Skynyrd among them. Not too shabby!
I enjoyed the read overall and it was intriguing to hear about this world from the "inside-out" so to speak. Just my opinion and nothing else- but I think she plays the ditsy blonde out of some insecurities and truly isn't at all. She holds good intent nearly universally. Except maybe for Imus.
He sounds exactly like the boss from hell I've had more than once myself.
April 3, 2019
I love Janice Dean. I watch her every morning on Fox & Friends! She is a breath of fresh air to start your day.
Mostly Sunny was a great read. A mix of happy and sad, things I knew and many surprises. I loved her openness and honesty about anxiety and her illness MS. How many of us have friends and family who are fighting these battles. As soon as I finished reading Mostly Sunny I gave it to my daughter to read and I have several more friends who want to borrow my copy.
Now I’ll have to get her children’s books for my grandchildren!
Mostly Sunny was a great read. A mix of happy and sad, things I knew and many surprises. I loved her openness and honesty about anxiety and her illness MS. How many of us have friends and family who are fighting these battles. As soon as I finished reading Mostly Sunny I gave it to my daughter to read and I have several more friends who want to borrow my copy.
Now I’ll have to get her children’s books for my grandchildren!
February 21, 2019
Dean deftly balances the stormy with the sunny in her memoir. She details some harrowing stuff, including her father departing on the family, a home invasion earlier in her career, battles with MS and her interactions with former Fox News boss Roger Ailes. Through it all, the Fox News meteorologist stays positive. There are some funny bits too, such as Dean's work in classic rock radio early in her career, and jumping onstage with Lynyrd Skynyrd more recently to sing backup in NY.
Dean is very open, especially for a public figure, and it offers a compelling look at a complex but eminently likable TV personality.
Dean is very open, especially for a public figure, and it offers a compelling look at a complex but eminently likable TV personality.
July 25, 2019
My parents are constantly watching Fox News, so, I've gotten to know that network's on-air personalities very well. I'm not a big fan of television news; I prefer to use my TV for entertainment purposes, and get my news online or in magazines or newspapers. Still, I've been curious about the various anchors' stories, especially since some of them have said that they're Christians (not including Janice Dean).
I found Janice's story inspiring, but tough to read at times; she went through a lot, and got treated rather badly by some of her male co-workers and bosses. If I'd worked with her, I'd have had much more respect for her than that; I learned the hard way some years ago what happens when you make the wrong comment to someone of the opposite gender.
I probably won't read this again, but, I was glad to know the story behind Fox News' sunny meteorologist.
I found Janice's story inspiring, but tough to read at times; she went through a lot, and got treated rather badly by some of her male co-workers and bosses. If I'd worked with her, I'd have had much more respect for her than that; I learned the hard way some years ago what happens when you make the wrong comment to someone of the opposite gender.
I probably won't read this again, but, I was glad to know the story behind Fox News' sunny meteorologist.
October 30, 2020
Very upbeat and positive book. Janice Dean has lived an interesting life in front of the cable cameras and behind the radio microphone. Along the way , her sunny outlook has been tested by MS , Sexual harassment on the job , and chaotic homelife. Presently, Janice shares her joy in living in this chart of her life thus far. Good reading!
April 7, 2024
I'm not a news-watcher in general so I'd never heard of Janice Dean before picking up this book. Dean is apparently best-known for her work as a weatherwoman on various FOX cable programs, but this memoir details her life from her Canadian childhood, her career journey in radio and television programs in Canada, Houston, and New York, the sexism, sexual harassment, and criticism she's faced in the industry, her estranged relationship with her father, her marriage and children, and her battle with multiple sclerosis (which doesn't factor into the book that much, actually).
The most interesting parts of the memoir for me were her discussions about sexism and sexual harassment in her media career. The least interesting parts were her discussions of plastic surgery and her offhand comment that after she had children, her life before children felt comparatively meaningless.
The most interesting parts of the memoir for me were her discussions about sexism and sexual harassment in her media career. The least interesting parts were her discussions of plastic surgery and her offhand comment that after she had children, her life before children felt comparatively meaningless.
September 15, 2022
(3.8)
I really hate rating autobiographies because it's a person's feelings and that's pretty subjective. I did like learning about her varied work history and appreciated how, despite being in a position to speak of a lot of bad people, she tried to be fair about people and acknowledged both the good and bad in the people she discussed.
Recommended 14+ for mentions of almost sexual assault, mild language, and other topics not appropriate for younger readers.
I really hate rating autobiographies because it's a person's feelings and that's pretty subjective. I did like learning about her varied work history and appreciated how, despite being in a position to speak of a lot of bad people, she tried to be fair about people and acknowledged both the good and bad in the people she discussed.
Recommended 14+ for mentions of almost sexual assault, mild language, and other topics not appropriate for younger readers.
June 5, 2019
This book is soooo very good. I have always enjoyed watching Janice on Fox News and this book backs up the fact that she is a real person, just as you see on TV.
This is a must read!
This is a must read!
March 6, 2019
Great book!
Loved this book! Loved Janice Dean's honesty and candor. Her struggle with MS very interesting. It was just a really good book that I read straight through. Will recommend .
Loved this book! Loved Janice Dean's honesty and candor. Her struggle with MS very interesting. It was just a really good book that I read straight through. Will recommend .
April 26, 2019
This is an amazing book written by such an engaging person. Janice Dean opens her heart to the readers. Her story is one of health struggles, challenges, hurt, an abusive workplace - all surmounted due to her inner strength and truly beautiful spirit. She is so honest and genuine, and writes so well, sharing her sorrows and lifting the reader with her wit and great humor. Her gratitude for those who helped and guided her, and for the love in her life, is a great reminder....I read this during a stressful week full of worry for my true love’s health, and her book inspired me to have faith and hope.
It’s true: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll just fall in love with JD.
Thank you, JD, for the gift you gave me this week.
Highly recommend.
“We’re all just doing the best we can. We need to remind ourselves that you never know what battle someone might be fighting. Sometimes the best medicine is to just be kind.”
“Having MS is a very good reminder to try to live life to the fullest. MS = Mostly Sunny. Not sweating the small stuff and looking for silver linings.”
“One of the big lessons I’ve learned in this life so far is to appreciate every moment. Enjoy it. Take chances. Do things that you’ve dreamed of doing. Get out of your comfort zone sometimes. Write down something on a piece of paper that you’ve always wanted to do and try to achieve it.”
Excerpt From
Excerpt From
Mostly Sunny
Janice Dean
https://books.apple.com/us/book/mostl...
This material may be protected by copyright.
It’s true: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll just fall in love with JD.
Thank you, JD, for the gift you gave me this week.
Highly recommend.
“We’re all just doing the best we can. We need to remind ourselves that you never know what battle someone might be fighting. Sometimes the best medicine is to just be kind.”
“Having MS is a very good reminder to try to live life to the fullest. MS = Mostly Sunny. Not sweating the small stuff and looking for silver linings.”
“One of the big lessons I’ve learned in this life so far is to appreciate every moment. Enjoy it. Take chances. Do things that you’ve dreamed of doing. Get out of your comfort zone sometimes. Write down something on a piece of paper that you’ve always wanted to do and try to achieve it.”
Excerpt From
Excerpt From
Mostly Sunny
Janice Dean
https://books.apple.com/us/book/mostl...
This material may be protected by copyright.
May 20, 2019
I absolutely LOVED this book. I would have read it in one sitting if I would not have had to go to bed. I have been a fan of Janice Dean the Weather Machine for a while and I was curious to read about her MS diagnosis. I had a middle school teacher with MS and currently have a family member with it. Janice was born in Canada, which has one of the highest rates of MS in the world. This book did jump around a lot which was sometimes confusing. One of the things I loved though was her talking about seeing a therapist. I feel like everyone should have a therapist and she had a whole chapter about it. "For me, Judy was a personal trainer for my brain to strengthen my mental muscles." Her husband is a NY firefighter and he was there on 9/11. How they got together is crazy and the universe had to align in all the right ways. She always wanted to be a journalist and actually started in the radio DJ biz. Unfortunately her big NYC break was working for Don Imus, a complete jerk! Then she went to Fox News and Roger Ailes, who was a creep, although he did have some nice tendencies. Whenever he was inappropriate to her she would just make a joke and laugh it off. Unfortunately, other women could not do the same. One of the shocking things to me was that reporter John Roberts, who was on CBS and now FOX, was a VJ for Canada's MTV called MuchMusic. I had to youtube it. That is crazy!
April 28, 2019
3.5 stars.
I knew nothing about Janice Dean. I don't watch FOX or any TV at this point but somehow this book called to me and then the ratings were so high that I decided I should read it. It was a good read and kept my interest the whole way through. I am not sure that I learned a lot from it except for a lot of empathy for her and how resilient she is and how it's always the best idea to be who you are. But I still enjoyed it quite a bit and am grateful for the work she is doing to help forward conversations around MS, her willingness to be vulnerable and how she is so unapologetically herself.
I knew nothing about Janice Dean. I don't watch FOX or any TV at this point but somehow this book called to me and then the ratings were so high that I decided I should read it. It was a good read and kept my interest the whole way through. I am not sure that I learned a lot from it except for a lot of empathy for her and how resilient she is and how it's always the best idea to be who you are. But I still enjoyed it quite a bit and am grateful for the work she is doing to help forward conversations around MS, her willingness to be vulnerable and how she is so unapologetically herself.
February 14, 2025
Janice Dean gives a wonderful and positive look at the world. Through other people's influence and interactions, she shares intimate details about a life well lived (so far!) and the many obstacles she overcame along the way. Life is not perfect, as she shares, but it's how we come out after the "rain" that makes all the difference. The person you see doing Fox Weather is definitely reflected in her story telling. This is a very light and enjoyable read. It is uplifting and I was excited to continue reading it until it was complete, it was that good! I am looking forward to her other book, " Make your own Sunshine," a title quite on point for a Weathergirl!
October 25, 2021
I cover bought, buying only less than $2 a book clearance (new).
Janice Dean I have since learned is a meteorologist for Fox & Friends. She was diagnosed with MS, and that was the big takeaway for me. She continued to work.
The book spends time on her looks, weight, etc., for me that is a big yawn. She did radio, knew people, and thus knew she was going to be scrutinized. Again, yawn.
The story is okay. Just meh. Another takeaway, is that she kept her life real. A deadbeat dad (my term), male bosses, miscarriages, etc. and worked.
Janice Dean I have since learned is a meteorologist for Fox & Friends. She was diagnosed with MS, and that was the big takeaway for me. She continued to work.
The book spends time on her looks, weight, etc., for me that is a big yawn. She did radio, knew people, and thus knew she was going to be scrutinized. Again, yawn.
The story is okay. Just meh. Another takeaway, is that she kept her life real. A deadbeat dad (my term), male bosses, miscarriages, etc. and worked.
March 10, 2019
Mostly Sunny is very inspirational. It's partly so because of the interesting and touching personal stories that Janice Dean tells in her book, but I think it's Dean’s enthusiasm for life what creates such a positive effect. The book impressed me as much as Secret Techniques for Controlling Sadness, Anger, Fear, Anxiety, and Other Emotions by Vlad Koros did, which also has this strange enthusiastic drive through thoughts and feelings that inspires. I highly recommend both these books.
May 1, 2019
I don't read biographies or memoirs generally. Since I watch this nice weather lady on Fox news I thought I'd give it a try. It was interesting to get a glimpse into the private life of someone I see on TV every day, with her sunny, fun, kind demeanour. It was also fun to read about someone who comes from Ottawa who made it big on the south side of the border. A sweet and gentle read, I did enjoy it.
August 11, 2019
It's her life and not for me to judge but if you're going to write a whole book about it.... don't be so repetitive. Every chapter she mentions her friends Megan Kelly and Neil Cavuto, yeah, we know... and a saying she attributes to her estranged father about working and being happy that we've all heard a million times. I'm happy she's healthy and in a great place. I wouldn't read another autobiography. I haven't read the children's books, maybe that's her niche.
January 13, 2020
Was the best non fiction book I have read in a long time. I truly enjoyed her zest for life and her transparency through all of life’s experiences. Her attitude gives a lot of hope to others struggling with illnesses like MS. I admire the truth and logic she used when facing workplace harassment. Sometimes in life you just have to grin and bear it for a season. I appreciate her openness on using a counselor to deal with hard issues. Overall a great read!!!
August 3, 2020
I struggle with this book. As a person who has the same disease, I liked reading about her experience. When other people in my life read it they told me that anyone with MS should stop feeling sorry for themselves because Janice Dean didn't do that. I hope her bright attitude is able to get her through her rainiest days, but it is important to remember that it is her experience and that she is a television personality that has to always be positive, so this might not be the whole story.
Read
February 5, 2022It feels strange to give a rating or review on a person sharing their life story. It was uplifting and encouraging and brave and honest. It was written as thought she were sitting down and telling with lots of hand motions or swiping of tears. I’ve been following and cheering Janice Dean on in light of the Andrew Cuomo nursing home scandals and wanted to read her books. It was a good and quick read; I finished it in two sittings. Would recommend if you want to know more about her!
February 27, 2024
This book was ok. Janice seems like a nice lady, and having worked for both Don Imus and Roger Ailes... she's been through a lot to say the least. Beyond that, her positive outlook on life despite her MS diagnosis is admirable. She has also experienced bullying as a child, and online as an adult. When speaking on these three subjects, I felt the book was great, and true to its title. Beyond those, this one lacked some substance for me.
March 26, 2019
Memoir of a radio DJ-turned-TV meteorologist who faced sexual harassment throughout her career, and who is challenged by living with multiple sclerosis. Dean is very upfront about her various high-profile bosses who abused their power by harassing female employees. Of interest only if you enjoy celebrity bios.
May 27, 2019
This was a fun, quick read. I don't watch any news, so I'm not familiar with Janice Dean ("the weather machine"!), but she seemed like a fun, sunny sort of person who cares about others and always tries to do the right thing. This memoir is not deep, but she does tell her story with honesty, which is hard to do given some of the things she's been through.
No complaints here!
No complaints here!
June 30, 2019
Who doesn't love Janice Dean the Weather Machine!! Her book was a bit surprising because it showed some sides to her I wasn't expecting. But - she is a terrific person and wrote a great book with lots of feelings and honesty. It was fun to read about the person, not just the tv personality. There's lots of personal details and insights into her and her family.
August 10, 2019
Interesting memoir type book of Fox news reporter, Janice DEan. She tells of climbing the ladder in television journalism. Bad jobs with Don Imus, Howard Stern. SHe talks of sexual remarks, etc. that had to be endured in those days. Finally she got on with Fox, talks about her bosses there. Then she was diagnosed with multiple scelrosis. Now she is trying to be positive and sunny .
September 10, 2019
I would give this 3.5 if I could. I love JD as a TV personality but thought this book was rather scattered. At times it felt like just name dropping and repetitive stories. But she's very honest about her struggles and battles. She comes across as absolutely a woman to back up other women and she's an inspiration to MS patients for sure.
May 28, 2020
I'd never heard of Janice Dean, and I'm not a Fox viewer (we're one of those weird folks who don't have cable cable tv). I enjoyed parts of this book, but parts were just way over the top chipper (perhaps because of her reading style), parts were TMI, parts were glossed over, and parts were kind of lecture-ey. Very different.
May 28, 2022
I really enjoyed this autobiography. I see that she took a risk in being honest about some of the situations in her life. I appreciate that. As she describes some of the steps of grieving that she went through I see that I am not so different than others. It's comforting to know I'm not week. Just normal.
March 20, 2019
Janice writes an engaging fun read. She tells her story with no holding back and it is entertaining. She has a very good look at life and that explains how she can cope with all the hiccups life has thrown her way.
Great book.
Great book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews