BYE, BYE, B&N: If you live in Irving, it’s about to get a little tougher to pick up that new best-seller. That’s because Barnes & Noble is closing stores at Irving Mall and MacArthur Park at Las Colinas on Monday. “Now every retailer is probably overbuilt, especially as shopping migrates online,” David Deason, the company’s vice president of real estate development, tells dallasnews.com.

THE YEAR IN CLASSICAL: Wayne Lee Gay and Gregory Sullivan Isaacs have posted their highlights from the year in classical music on Front Row and Theater Jones, respectively. Among the commonalities: Olga Kern’s November performance at the Winspear, the DSO’s presentation of Britten’s War Requiem and the Dallas Opera’s Aida.

THE YEAR IN THEATER: And how’s about one more list to round out the roundup? This one comes courtesy of dfw.com and looks at the year in local theater. Critics Mark Lowry and Punch Shaw tag teamed this one, and topping their list is Amphibian Stage Productions’ The True Story of the Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World. Special acknowledgement also goes to Casa Mañana and Stage West for each landing two shows on the list.