I must admit I found E. Annie Proulx’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Shipping News" to be ersatz John Irving: the way Proulx manipulates her already eccentric characters by trotting them through various situations that get even stranger as the book moves along, and especially how Proulx tries cramming warmth in among the ever more oddball events and people. Comment.

Christmas is the time of faith, fun and all those sweet and tender sentiments we’re much too cynical to appreciate during the rest of the year. In 2000, the Ryan Repertory Company offered us that ultimate tale of misanthropy and redemption, Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol." This year they’re back with "The Littlest Angel" by Charles Tazewell (1900-1972), directed by Carolyn Popadin. Comment.

The grand opening of the H&M clothing store at the Kings Plaza Mall (Flatbush Avenue at Avenue U) opened with a scandalous premise on Friday, Dec. 14. Customers were encouraged to remove their shirts upon entering the store - for a good cause. Comment.

"A Child’s Christmas in Brooklyn," by Frank Crocitto (Candlepower, $10.95) is a unique, nostalgic collection of the author’s memories of his Italian-American Christmases on 81st Street and 13th Avenue. Comment.

Holiday season is upon us and there’s no better way to show family and friends you care than by hosting a dinner party. Comments (2).

The BAMcinematek, the curated portion of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Rose Cinemas that presents daily screenings of retrospective film programs, will be taking a vacation this holiday season - the first since its inception in July 1999. Comment.