11 Best Wintry Quotes From Books

I am a person who absolutely loves snow… when experienced from a great distance, that is. (Or, you know, when experienced through some of these great wintry quotes from books.) I love watching snow fall outside my window while I’m curled up in a blanket with a good novel. I love the assorted beverages that accompany snow — hot cocoa, eggnog, cinnamon cider; and the outfits — knit caps, puffy vests, faux fur-lined boots. I love lightly dusted pine trees and cozy country rooftops with frosted gables. I’ll even garner some mild joy from a jolly snow-covered mailbox or two — as long as I’m not expecting any packages that day.

Basically, I much prefer the frosty cheer of books and book quotes about winter than I do the prospect of bundling up and heading outside to experience it firsthand. But I have to admit, every once in a while the urge to be a kid again strikes, and I find myself knee-deep in a frozen winter wonderland, carrot nose and top hat in hand.

Here are 11 of the best wintry quotes from books to make you want to go outdoors and build a snowman, immediately. You won’t be able to resist, no matter how chilly it is.

1. “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

2. “Even the strongest blizzards start with a single snowflake.”

― Sara Raasch, Snow Like Ashes

3. “A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.”

― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

4. “Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people's legs like house cats. It was magical, this snow globe world.”

― Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen

5. “A cold wind was blowing from the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things.”

― George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire

6. “He remembered such days from his own childhood in the mountains, rare moments of escape when he went into the woods, his breathing amplified and his voice somehow muffled by the heavy snow that bent branches low, drifted over paths. The world, for a few short hours, transformed.”

― Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper's Daughter

7. “October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.”

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

8. “Is it snowing where you are? All the world that I see from my tower is draped in white and the flakes are coming down as big as pop-corns. It's late afternoon - the sun is just setting (a cold yellow colour) behind some colder violet hills.”

― Jean Webster, Daddy-Long-Legs

9. “The only green things left are the holly bushes and the old boxwood hedges in the village, and these are often painted white with snow. Chipmunks and weasels come to nest in basements and barns; owls find their way into attics. At night, the dark is blue and bluer still, as sapphire of night.”

― Alice Hoffman, Here on Earth

10. “Thank goodness for the first snow, it was a reminder--no matter how old you became and how much you'd seen, things could still be new if you were willing to believe they still mattered.”

― Candace Bushnell, Lipstick Jungle

11. “She stuck her head out and took a deep breath. If she could eat the cold air, she would. She thought cold snaps were like cookies, like gingersnaps. In her mind they were made with white chocolate chunks and had a cool, brittle vanilla frosting. They melted like snow in her mouth, turning creamy and warm.”

― Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen