The snow started around 1pm today and my view out the window from my desk made the world outside look like a snow globe. I love winter–I love the snow and the cold–but February is the month when I start thinking about the coming spring and it starts to feel a little long.
I haven’t always loved winter and when I didn’t my favorite thing to do during this cold, seemingly long month was to read my favorite wintertime novel: Look for Me by Moonlight, by Mary Downing Hahn. I think I first read this book shortly after it’s release in the late ’90’s and I loved it. So much! It was a yearly read for me and even though it’s not quite the same now as it was back then, I still like to pull it out to read every few years, always during February. This was one of the first books that sparked my imagination in a new way. When I was very young I loved fairy tales (of the Disney variety), ghosts and mermaids, but everything was lighthearted. This was the first book that introduced me to the darker side of paranormal and horror. After this book, I started to read everything that I could get my hands on: L.J. Smith, Lois Duncan, among others. They were some of the first influences that made me into the writer that I am today, even in my contemporary stories.
I haven’t read this book for awhile. I might pull it out this weekend if I have a chance.
What are some of your childhood favorites?
