Yesterday
Formula 1 is booming. So are romance novels about the sport
The sports romance genre is seeing a new trend thanks in part to the popularity of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive.
- Gregory Leporati
Lin-Manuel Miranda on Mufasa and the secret to a Disney hit
The Hamilton creator, who crafted the soundtrack for the new prequel to The Lion King, reflects on writing songs that have universal appeal.
- Sarah Bahr
This Month
Think you’re cultured? Try this 2024 life and arts quiz
Test your knowledge of what went down this year with 40 questions from the Financial Times.
- Ludovic Hunter-Tilney
‘I saved a starving otter – and she saved me’
A new documentary captures the magic of an unlikely friendship amid the wilds off the west coast of Scotland.
- Judith Woods
It’s a Wonderful Life is a ritual, but its darkness must be dealt with
The organisers of a festival celebrating Frank Capra’s classic holiday film are finally tackling the difficult subject at its heart.
- Erik Piepenburg
Long dead, Jackson Pollock finally makes it to Paris
We all know about Blue Poles but a new retrospective at the Musée Picasso shows the troubled path the great abstract expressionist took to painting it.
- Tom McIlroy
Five grown-up films for a sequel-free Boxing Day
Hollywood’s obsession with rehashes carries on to the biggest day of the year for Australian cinema owners, but there are some flicks for discerning adults.
- Michael Bodey
What the Dickens have they done to the year 12 English syllabus?
Charles Dickens, George Orwell and Sylvia Plath will all disappear from the HSC English syllabus in NSW, but their replacements aren’t too shabby.
- Jonty Claypole
Australian authors dominate Christmas book sales
Tim Winton, Helen Garner, Joe Aston and Nagi Maehashi – or RecipeTin Eats, as her website is called – are leading sales and helping independent bookshops stay strong.
- Hannah Wootton
Do you know this week’s news? Answer these 10 questions
Have you been paying attention this week? Test your knowledge across politics, business and world news.
- Daniel Arbon
You’ve seen this book everywhere. TikTok is responsible
The romance novel “Icebreaker” has sold almost 2 million copies since publisher Anthea Bariamis discovered it on BookTok, a forum turning the fiction industry on its head.
- Lucy Dean
- Christmas Gift Guide 2024
- eBooks
Books to treasure or give this holiday season
Elevate your mood and mind with our selection of new coffee table editions, ranging from spectacular photography to quirky knowledge.
- Stephen Clark
Crowded House to A Christmas Carol: shows to see in December
Nutcrackers and Messiahs abound this month, but a fitting way to cap this cost-of-living year might be a night with Ebeneezer Scrooge. Or there’s always Neil Finn.
- Michael Bailey
- Christmas Gift Guide 2024
- Life & Leisure
Handmade hits the premium end of the gift market
These five artisans are busy working on timeless pieces that celebrate the art of making – and that you won’t see in shops everywhere.
- Hannah Tattersall
12 books fiction lovers will give (or hope to receive)
We asked prominent Australian writers, readers, tome-buyers and page turners to tell us what they are most hoping to get – and send to others.
- Lucy Dean
How the Queen’s death cost this Aussie filmmaker $1m
A Melbourne-based producer and director somehow raised $100 million to make a movie starring Robbie Williams as a CGI monkey. It didn’t all go smoothly.
- Patrick Durkin
Bluey heads to the big screen in global release
The Walt Disney Co and BBC Studios announced a film based on the hit Australian series will arrive in cinemas in 2027.
- Brooks Barnes
Major Sydney gallery to charge entry fee for first time in 25 years
From January 31, visitors to the Museum of Contemporary Art will have to pay $20 to get in. Chairwoman Lorraine Tarabay blames a decline in government funding.
- Michael Bailey
The 10 best albums of 2024 (if Taylor Swift isn’t your jam)
Soulful singer songwriters, rising indie superstars, Australian up-and-comers and a floor-filling techno god. Welcome to the year’s best sounds.
- Alexander Gow and James Thomson
The sole survivor from jazz’s most important photograph
One summer morning in 1958, a group of jazz notables gathered on the steps of a Harlem brownstone for a photo that became iconic.
- Hank Shteamer
Barnesy, Farnesy... blue Wiggle? The best music books of 2024
Some icons of music wrote their story this year – or had it written for them. Here’s our pick of the greatest music book hits for when the Christmas carols are done.
- Michael Bailey
Our streaming reviewer’s top picks for a holiday binge
The best Australian comedy series in years, Larry David’s swansong and reboots of classic source material like Fargo and The Watchmen will keep you submitting to the “play next episode” option this holidays.
- Terry Pontikos
This Christmas concert is a (mostly) Mariah-free zone
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s gorgeous Noël! Noël! program offers a welcome return to when Christmas music was actually about Christmas.
- Michael Bailey
Do you know this week’s news? Answer these 10 questions
Have you been paying attention this week? Test your knowledge across politics, business and world news.
- Daniel Arbon
The two things David Gonski will miss as he exits gallery role
The company director ranks getting consensus on the Archibald Prize as one of his toughest gigs, as he hands over the Art Gallery of NSW chairmanship after 16 years.
- Michael Bailey