It’s a tough selling environment for fiction; the numbers are bleak and falling fast. But Where Late the Crawdads Sang has been going, and going, and going, and going … “Crawdads has sold more print copies than any other adult title this year — fiction or nonfiction — according to NPD BookScan, blowing away the combined print sales of new novels by John Grisham, Margaret Atwood and Stephen King. Putnam has returned to the printers nearly 40 times to feed a seemingly bottomless demand for the book. Foreign rights have sold in 41 countries.” What the heck? – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
Do Music Genres Even Exist Anymore?
Music critics may resist the idea, but “what if the genre killers are right? What if it doesn’t matter whether they’re right, but it’s happening anyway? Start to finish, 2019 gave us plenty of evidence.” – Slate
The Sceptered Isle And Its Many (Many) Historically Important Buildings
Historic England has released a new list of 500 additions to the built environments it accords “enhanced” or new status. Why does anyone care? “They grow not only ever more surprising – our sense of what constitutes our built heritage is expanding incrementally – but more joy-sparking, too. What loveliness, and what fascination. Look at the buildings that have made the grade and not only does the sweep of history wash over you in an invigorating wave.” – The Guardian (UK)
Backstage At Matthew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’
Twenty-two years after the groundbreaking production had its U.S. debut in Los Angeles, it returned – “as gloriously relevant as ever.” And here is a photo gallery of what happens backstage, offstage, and around stage as audiences watch the stage itself. – Los Angeles Times
Christmas, With Its Fights And Fury And Beauty, Is A Gift To Novelists
And, famously, short story writers. Why? “It’s a chance to bring together a wide cast of characters at a time when the sense of occasion allows them and the novelist to take the long view of their lives.” – The Guardian (UK)
No Surprises In Star Wars’ Dominance Of The Box Office
Despite rather lackluster reviews, the film is on track to take in almost $400 million internationally. And wow, does that benefit Disney. “Disney said that it had booked The Rise of Skywalker into 4,300 cinemas in the United States and Canada, including 415 IMAX screens and 3,200 3-D locations. Theaters typically keep about 55 percent of ticket sales, with the balance going to studios. But Disney will receive about 65 percent of ticket sales for The Rise of Skywalker, in keeping with the onerous contracts it negotiated for previous Star Wars films.” – The New York Times
The Chaotic Glories Of A Real Department Store
Perhaps many of us – at least those who depend on Amazon and the wide world of other online shopping options – have forgotten, but department stores still exist. At least, a few do. “To study the decline of department-store retail is to study the erosion of the middle class. … Department stores provided one-stop shopping for consumers who had time and money to spend—just not too much of either. But stagnant wages mean stagnant spending.” – The Atlantic
A Digital Update For ‘Cats’
Perhaps that won’t improve its dismal showing at the box office this weekend, but at least it might improve the moviegoing experience. Director Tom Hooper “has been upfront about the fact that he barely finished the CGI-heavy Cats in time for the Dec. 16 world premiere in New York City, and subsequently wanted to make more tweaks to certain effects, according to sources.” So it looks like he did. – The Hollywood Reporter
Abbey Simon, Pianist Who Interpreted The Romantics With Breathtaking Skill, Has Died At 99
Simon “was often called a pianist’s pianist — greatly admired by musicians and critics if not strictly a household name. Known in particular for his interpretations of the Romantic literature, he was lauded for the fleetness of his fingers, the lightness of his tone and the thoughtfulness of his interpretations.” – The New York Times
Building A Better (Well, Bigger) Sistine Chapel
It’s for Netflix, y’all. For The Two Popes. – Los Angeles Times