I don’t care what they’re going to say. Let the storm rage on.
The cold never bothered me anyway.
~ Elsa ~
It’s that time of year again. At least, it is here in the Northeast. Time for cold and snow and ice.
As I watch winter’s approach through late October into November, it is as if I can see the archetypal Snow Queen march closer and closer through the trees that surround our home.
First, she touches the grass and tree leaves with frost. Colors blaze and brown. 
Then, she ices the ponds and pools of water. Frogs disappear.
Finally, snow falls. At first, it melts. But she breathes icily upon the air and snow falls upon frozen ground and the snow stays.
Like Demeter mourning Persephone’s descent into the Underworld, the Snow Queen turns the land bare. We are left to hope that beneath the frozen soil, life lingers and will return.
While many, perhaps you, do not like the cold and snow of winter, it is a lovely time to hibernate. Annie Dillard in her classic work, Pilgrim at Tinker’s Creek, calls winter a time to come in to come out. I’ve always loved that idea. That hibernating allows space for a deeper awareness of self and, if you are a creative (and you are), of your creativity.
It’s also a great time for curling up by the fire with your favorite cup of hot cocoa or tea or hot toddy and a book.
Although I may not have read all novels listed below, I have read books by all these authors and can recommend them as magical storytellers, with strong plots, great character development and good worldbuilding. If you like fantasy, myth, and fairy tale here are some books you might enjoy as winter sets in:
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. A time travel novel set in Scotland.
The Winter King by C. L. Wilson. This epic fantasy romance is the first in the Weathermages of Mistral series
Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh. Book 13 in the Psy-Changeling series.
Hot Winter Nights: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel by Jill Shalvis.
The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter. This new take on the Snow White story casts the heroine as the potential evil queen.
The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey. A Tale of the Five Hundred series.
The Dragon’s Daughter and the Winter Mage by Jeffe Kennedy. From her Heirs of Magic series.
An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris. Part of the Harper Connelly mystery series.
Varnished Without a Trace by Misty Simon. A Tallie Graver cozy mystery.
Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martin. I would be remiss in this list of winter reads if I did not include the author who popularized the statement, “Winter is coming.”
And, of course, you can always read the popular Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the Snow Queen. But, if you live where the Snow Queen can’t touch you, don’t let that keep you from curling up with a good book, perhaps by the beach or in your favorite recliner.
After all, it’s always the season for reading
