Posted By Brenda on March 10, 2010

So I ran across this expression today. One-off. I, of course, thought it meant to kill someone (no, I do not have a warped and corrupted mind at all… ahem).

Anyways, apparently it comes from a British expression that means something similar to the phrase “one of a kind.” It usually refers to something that is one of a kind; such as a prototype for a toy or something. It is often used to describe toys.

So, if you’re browsing the web and see something referred to as a “one-off,” then you will know its not a typo but the correct phrase. Strange isn’t it?

Category: Wednesday, Writing Tips | No Comments »
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Posted By Brenda on March 9, 2010

Today is my birthday so I will not be posting anything useful at all. I intend to do something fun, and maybe eat something yummy. I will resume posting tomorrow.

Category: Tuesday | No Comments »
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Posted By Brenda on March 8, 2010

Inkheart is the first book in the Inkworld Trilogy written by Cornelia Funke.

Inkheart is a story about this man named Mo and his daughter Meggie. Mo has the special ability to read things out of books and bring them to life inside our own world. The premise of the book is that each story that was ever written actually exists somewhere in the world, operating on their own plots and schedules.

During a reading when Meggie was a young child, Mo accidentally read his own wife into a book and some other characters from the book into the real world. Both Mo and one of the characters (Dustfinger) want to find the book so that they can go back into the Inkworld.

During this it is discovered that there is another, evil, character (who Mo also read from the book) that has been destroying all of the copies of Inkheart because he prefers to live in the real world. All sorts of action and adventure occur after this discovery.

I really like the descriptions used in this book. I feel like Cornelia Funke is able to paint very vivid pictures about people and places. However, the entire story as a whole I thought was a little on the boring side. I never quite felt drawn into the story. I wanted to be, but I wasn’t.

However, that is about the only quarrel that I have with the book. It is well written and an original story. Any child over the age of 9 will enjoy reading this story. It would also make a great read-aloud story.

Category: Monday, Reviews | 1 Comment »
Tags: brenda, Monday, review