The Afghan, the latest espionage book by Frederick Forsythe hit the N.Y.T. best seller list top 10 in it's first week of release. I have enjoyed Forsythe novels in the past, however you could wonder why the lukewarm reviews didn't dampen the public's appetite for this novel.
Bob Dylan's newest album, Modern Times, came out of the blocks at # 1 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Ireland,New Zealand & Switzerland. Bob said in an article with Rolling Stone magazine that the songs on this album sounded much better in the studio than on the disc. Sounds like a disclaimer to me. As great and immeasurable as Bob is, this album is not up to the standards of two of his other recent albums. Both Love and Theft and Time out of Mind, have some very memorable songs.
What the book and the album have in common is that they were both offered at discounts of 50% and more at Barnes & Noble and other retail outlets, prior to the compilation of the list and chart. Not a bad way to boost early sales. Those best seller and Neilsen charts ain't what they used to be.