Ponder: The Fragile Threads of Power

Although I claim I am not a fan of fantasy, I do like this author. I first read her stand alone book The Invisible Life of Addie Larue and rated it five stars in my 11/14/21 review of it. The Fragile Threads of Power ©2023 is the fifth book by V. E. Schwab I have read and greatly enjoyed. I seriously considered rating it five stars because of the plot intricacies, and the elaborate settings of three Londons (Red, Grey, and White) with various levels of magic, and the ambience of the markets (one even floating). In terms of plot intricacies, is one kingdom trying to take over another? Who is faithful and who is a traitor? Is vengeance the primary driver? Such is the basic Game of Thrones type undercurrent of the plot. Although, personally, I am notoriously politically ignorant, I could follow this scheming with relish and pleasure. The characters are plentiful and a delight (princes, kings, queens, magicians, pirates, priests, young adolescents) and the villains are dastardly.

I rated the three books in her Shades of Magic trilogy, which I read after The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, either 4 or 5 stars in my three posts, (4/28/22) (5/21/22) (5/23/22). Then I had a concern that a novice reader picking up The Fragile Threads of Power because of my five star rating for it, could subsequently be confused and disappointed. The characters within the Shades of Magic trilogy are reprised in The Fragile Threads of Power. 

As background from the Shades of Magic trilogy:
Kell is part of the royal family in Red London; he is an Antari, a blood magician, but in The Fragile Threads of Power his magic has changed. An Antari can pass through portals between the Londons. Delila Bard is a streetwise thief with a thirst for adventure and a spunky, independent attitude to go with it. She has grown from adolescence and her magic has matured. When Kell and Lila's two paths initially crossed, the two formed a bond – a bond which both of them vehemently denied; but the vehemence of denial is beginning to fade in The Fragile Threads of Power. Alucard is a privateer and has become a consort of the no-longer-prince, but-now-king, Rhy. Rhy and Kell are brothers by adoption and also bonded to either other, in a disconcerting way, by a magic spell. These characters age and morph in The Fragile Threads of Power. There are new characters introduced from other Londons. Several are mere children such as the little queen Kosika and young tinkerer Tes with her owl Vares. New villains emerge.

I am in a conundrum. When books are in a series and the same characters carry over to the next title, should the book's star rating be degraded since a new reader might be lost, having not read the precursors? Not necessarily. V. E. Schwab did an excellent job in this book to remind the reader what occurred in the previous trilogy, both in terms of plot and characters. After just a bit of head scratching, I would realize, "Oh yes, of course. I remember. That makes sense!" Plus the characters formed in the Shades of Magic trilogy are not static. They have matured, and their circumstances have also changed. The characterization in The Fragile Threads of Power is not stagnant at all. Also, there are new characters introduced, young, unique, and with inventive backgrounds and skills. The character field is creative and never dull. I look forward to their growth in what I am guessing (hoping) will be further additions to this Fragile Threads series. The swashbuckling fights scenes are riveting; the offensive and defensive moves are clever, desperate, inventive, and surprisingly effective.  

I have talked myself into it. I rate The Fragile Threads of Power five stars. If future readers have not read the previous trilogy, then they have some catching up to do for maximum enjoyment.

★★★★★ Great! Read it!

Three Redneck Tenors

Saturday night, February 17th, Frank and I attended a musical/comedy show called 3 Redneck Tenors. We did not know what to expect but decided to break out of our usual predictable show mode and try an outing that could be different and fun. The show was a fund raiser for the Livermore Valley Opera but a promised comedic aspect made us give it a try. It was enjoyable and we were glad we'd gone.

Promotional materials for the show describe 3 Redneck Tenors as follows:

What happens when you mix classically trained vocal artists from world opera stages with stand-up comedy and improv? The result is the 3 Redneck Tenors. This sensational trio will bring its one-of-a-kind musical comedy to the Bankhead Theater on February, 17, 2024 at 7:00pm for a special benefit performance. As these charismatic characters hit the stage, the audience will embark on a rollicking adventure filled with unexpected surprises, unforgettable tunes, and plenty of laughs. The 3 Redneck Tenors, with a down-home twist, combine their world-class vocal prowess with side-splitting comedy, performing music ranging from gospel, to country, to Broadway, pop and yes, classical.

Admittedly the first half was way more our speed, and the song choices were very recognizable. In fantastic harmonies and a bit of operatic style the trio started out with tunes from TV shows, Bonanza, Rawhide, The Jeffersons, among others I've already forgotten but enjoyed. They encouraged audience verbal participation with cheers and "Boo's" and "Aaw 's" and rhythmic accompaniment with clapping. They moved on to songs from musicals; Alone in the Universe from Seussical the Musical, the Impossible Dream from the Man of La Mancha, and Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera are three I remember. 

The second half had a bit more advertising and more operatic selections. They did sing the number they'd done on America Has Talent (and lost the competition). It was a version of Beethovens' Fifth. There were no words,  just 🎶 buh, buh, buh buhs 🎶 , which were bemusing and funny but certainly not award winning. Overall Frank and I enjoyed the show, and liked being out. In keeping with the redneck tone, the lobby had Ho-Ho's, Ding Dongs, and Twinkies for snacks. I did cave and eat a Ding Dong to keep in the spirit of the event. (Actually, I ate two! I hadn't had one of these in years.)

For sale in the lobby were also 3 Redneck Tenors cook books. The entire first chapter specialized in dishes made with Velveeta. I did not buy the cookbook. There were T-shirts for sale too. The back had a picture of a camper type trailer and read MOBILE HOME SCHOOLED. I did not buy the shirt either.

Encanto and Frozen Disney on Ice

Sunday, February 11th, Frank and I took Alex to see Disney on Ice, Frozen & Encanto. Yes, that was Super Bowl Sunday. I realized the conflict just a few hours after hitting that BUY tickets button on the Ticketmaster site. We recorded the game and just hoped that no one we sat by at the show would give away the score or the progress. We were safe. No one seemed to be following the football game during the show. The stadium seats were not full occupied probably because those interested in the Super Bowl were not in attendance.

We bought Alex his program as usual, and he loved thumbing through it, even, to our dismay, when the show was in full progress. But he did engage on and off and we were pleased we'd decided to come. We had not done these Disney on Ice performances in quite a few years. 

I thought Kristoff's reindeer Sven was a hoot. Remember the song...?

[KRISTOFF]
Reindeers are better than people
Sven, don't you think that's true?
(As Sven)
Yeah, people will beat you
And curse you and cheat you
Every one of them's bad except you
(As himself)
Oh, thanks buddy
But people smell better than reindeers
Sven, don't you think I'm right?
(As Sven)
That's once again true
For all except you
(As himself)
You got me, let's call it a night
(As Sven)
Good night
(As himself)
Don't let the frostbite
Bite...

The ring of fire cast on the ice during the Encanto portion was impressive.

In the grand finale it was amazing to see the entire cast of characters and costumes that had made for the enjoyment of the show.

Alex was engrossed in the show almost as much as he was in his huge tub of popcorn. But I did record one video. Not of the show but rather of Alex's jiggling foot as he kept in time to the music. We are glad we went and I think Alex was, also.

Legally Blonde Musical

Saturday, January 27th, Frank and I went to the musical Legally Blonde at our local theatre, the Bankhead. The performance was fun and high energy. We couldn't understand a fair amount of the lyrics for songs sung by the company, but the emotions and intensity came across and made us smile. Individual solos were much clearer and more distinct. Full lyrics can be found on line, for those curious enough to look at them. The plot of the musical followed the movie closely and the songs furthered the plot line and defined character roles.

👍

We enjoyed the musical enough that when we got home from the matinee performance, we located the movie Legally Blonde (2001) itself and re-enjoyed it that evening. Reese Witherspoon, as the ditsy blonde lead, proved that blondes can be quite intelligent and responsible even if they do like wearing pink and high heels, having their nails polished just so, and styling their hair to be picture perfect.

👍

A few days later we watched the movie Legally Blond 2 (2003). What a waste! The movie is an ode to women's naivety, ditsy-ness, and dumb idiosyncracies. Where Legally Blonde supported the important role women are capable of demonstrating in society, Legally Blond 2 negates all that positive image building. Plus, Sally Fields plays the bad guy. That is totally inappropriate for Gidget and the Flying Nun.

👎

Ponder: The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club ©2020 by Richard Osman is a humorous delight to read. The club is made up of four septuagenarians -- Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim -- who live in a retirement village called Coopers Chase. They meet in the Jigsaw Room weekly to solve cold case murders. Amongst themselves, they possess a variety of special talents from before they retired that work together amazingly well, enabling them solve murders. Add in the skill sets of their grown children, or all the unique connections of the contacts they'd cultivated during their careers, and they are an amazingly efficient sleuth force to be reckoned with. Not all the crimes are cold cases such as the stabbing one they initially explore from the past. Recently and currently, there is a bludgeoning, a shooting, and a poisoning that the quartet analyze with calm aplomb. 

Joyce, one of the four, keeps a diary. Her musings seem to run a bit astray sometimes and do not always advance the plot; but they certainly do evoke a chuckle or two from the reader. The diary entries are well worth including since they are a creative mechanism for not only providing a useful consolidation of facts but also delivering a delightful sprinkling of tongue-in-cheek views of the residents and suspects.  

The retirement setting was especially engaging for me. My husband and I, both septuagenarians ourselves, have been considering such a relocation for ourselves. Coopers Chase with Willow, its accompanying nursing home for the village, are the very model for the site we are thinking about. The entire Chapter 3 describes Coopers Chase to the extent I thought the author may have been inspired by the brochure for the place we've been considering except that Coopers Chase is on the site of a former convent. An excerpt from Chapter 3 reads:

Beside the swimming pool is a small "arthritis therapy pool" which looks like a Jacuzzi largely for the reason it is a Jacuzzi. ...Take the lift up to the recreation rooms next -- the gym and the exercise studio, where residents could happily Zumba among the ghosts of the single beds. Then there's the Jigsaw Room for gentler activities and associations. There's the library, and the lounge for the bigger and more controversial committee meetings, or for football on the big flat-screen TV. Then down again to the ground floor where the long low tables of the convent refractory are now the "contemporary upscale restaurant."

The Thursday Murder Club is the first in a series of four books. I am definitely going to seek out the other three to read. Per https://books.org/blog/richard-osman-books-in-order/

I rate The Thursday Murder Club four stars, subtracting one star because of the limited demographic of its audience. Amazon readers gave The Thursday Murder Club a 4.3 out of 5 rating, even though it was a New York Times best selling book, probably for the same reader based reason. 

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

I enjoyed this book and have put myself on the library waitlist for the second one, The Man Who Died Twice. And there is indeed a waitlist.