Sarah Brennan Funny & Fabulous Blog

Books are proof that humans can work magic!

Here is a quote I just received from Hillary Lo, an exceptional student from Shatin Junior School who is a regular entrant in my Clever Competitions for writing. It’s from the extraordinary astrophysicist, cosmologist, writer and philosopher Carl Sagan – find out more about him at http://www.carlsagan.com/:

“What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”

Thank you Hillary! And if you also have a fantastic quote about books or writing, please share it with us all by posting a comment on my Favourite Sayings page!

A Room without Books is like a Body without a Soul

Those are the words of the great Roman philosopher Cicero, writing over two thouand years ago. And how right he is. In the same way that our bodies are what we eat, our minds, hearts and souls are what we read. So if we don’t read books – lots and lots of books – we are starving our minds, bodies and souls.

There are so many wonderful quotes out there about reading, and books,  which inspire me every day. So I’ve decided to share them with you on  a brand new page called My Favourite Sayings. Just click on the new tab at the top of this page to have a read. And if you know any wonderful quotes about books or reading, or short poems that inspire you, why don’t you share them with us by posting a comment on my new page?

If you love Chinese Calligraphy…

SNAKE!

Then go right away to my Which Zodiac Animal Are You? Page above to see the beautiful calligraphy of Jason Huang, Melbourne resident and calligraphy teacher to Adam, a delightful Scotch College student who very generously gave me the drawings during my visit to his school! See my post on 13 February below for a photo of Adam and me with the Sign of  the Dragon!

More fabulous news from Australia!

NOW THAT’S WHAT YOU CALL A BRIGHT IDEA!!

Great news! The Chinese Calendar Tales are now all listed on the VICTORIAN Premier’s Reading Challenge List for 2013 – in addition to the New South Wales Premier’s Reading Challenge List! See the link showing my books here!

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/prc/books/default.htm