A real fixer-upper
Erin O'Dwyer Does everything have to be a case of out with the old, in with the new?
Can't you see I'm not working?
RICHARD GLOVER If you work in an office and have left for the holidays, you are supposed to program your computer to send an out-of-office message. "David O'Rourke will be on leave until January 13. If it's urgent please contact Sylvia Brennan in accounts." That sort of thing.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty review: Ben Stiller is a daydream believer
SANDRA HALL Comedy meets nostalgia in a story about an ordinary man's extraordinary imagination.
Diary of an avid reader
Keith Austin There are plenty of unexpected choices for the resourceful book hunter.
New Year's Eve 2013: Reg Mombassa is the master of ceremonies
Nick Galvin New Year's Eve was never a big deal for Reg Mombassa - until he found himself at the helm of Sydney's extravagant shindig. His oddball visions will make the last night of 2013 a celebration to remember.
Out of the beatbox
George Palathingal From trumpet to didgeridoo, Tom Thum can make any noise with his voice.
Pitiless vision of males with guns
Review By Adrian McKinty A disastrous deer-hunting expedition in 1978 is the scene of a new novel by David Vann.
Scent messages: Frank Camorra's Middle Eastern dishes
FRANK CAMORRA Spice up simple meals with some exotic additions.
Frozen review: a tale of fire and ice
PAUL BYRNES It has all the hallmarks of an old-school Disney animated fairytale, but Frozen marks a subtle, and welcome, changing of the guard.
The Dreyfus disgrace
Review By Michael Sexton A British novelist revisits one of France's most infamous spy scandals, the framing of a Jewish army officer for espionage.
Train of thought
Stephanie Bunbury A POW's widow recounts the long battle for forgiveness that became The Railway Man.
Violet is a flower plucked many times in old Shanghai
Review By Claire Scobie Amy Tan's first novel in eight years is told from the perspective of Violet, the daughter of Lucia Minturn, an American living in Shanghai who runs a high-class courtesan house for Chinese and European men. Set in the early 1900s, as China's imperial Qing dynasty crumbles, the savvy Minturn runs Hidden Jade Path with aplomb. At a time when the two races did not mix, she alone has the ''ability to put men and prospects together for profit''.
Yule be right
Ruth Ritchie A show that plays like panto all year round is just the ticket for the festive season.
Queen of Broadway Bernadette Peters: making a song and dance about it
Darryn King In a career spanning more than 60 years, Bernadette Peters' voice has filled Carnegie Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and the Sydney Opera House. It has earned her seven Tony Award nominations and two wins. It has elevated the work of some of the most illustrious composers of the 20th century: the soaring sunny highs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the soapy emoting of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the complex curlicues of Stephen Sondheim.
Christmas pageant
Ruth Ritchie The birth of Jesus is forgotten as half a billion people tune in to a bejewelled catwalk lingerie show.
Dicing with disaster
James Walker Board games can expose a family's character flaws in terrifying detail.
Happiness is a homemade pie
FRANK CAMORRA It's a trusty take-away staple, but there's nothing like making your own with imaginative ingredients beneath the crust.
Saving Mr Banks
Saving Mr Banks: Mary Poppins creator gives 'Uncle Walt' Disney hell
Karl Quinn The creator of the magical nanny was at loggerheads with the maker of the classic film.
Prankster finds his ethical side
Gareth Hutchens John Safran's book is everywhere at the moment. It stares at you from airport bookshops. It sits in the hands of bus passengers. It's piled in bookshop windows. But don't let those things put you off. It is a fun read. By the time you finish it, you wish it was longer.
Sex and skulduggery in past ready-made for Hollywood
Simon Caterson Though as a novelist he is prepared to expose his characters to what the jacket blurb promises will be ''unimaginable depravity'', Matthew Reilly retains a sense of authorial responsibility to the reader. Reilly recommends that The Tournament, a historical adventure set in the 16th century and featuring the English teenage princess destined to be crowned as Elizabeth I, ''be read by mature readers''.
State of the national mind
Andrew Riemer The annual collections of Australian writing give a glimpse into our social and spiritual condition.
The grim reaper would not stop calling
Owen Richardson Jesmyn Ward's remarkable memoir is also an elegy for five young men.
Review
The Railway Man review: tracks through time
SANDRA HALL A true story of courage and love explores a dark moment in history.
Under their spell: The new breed of magician
STEPHANIE BUNBURY Wands are out. Cloaks are over. Rabbits are passe. The new breed of magician uses the psychology of secrets to enchant a crowd.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues review: vintage village idiot
PAUL BYRNES Will Ferrell's retro newsman returns - and goes out with a bang.
Undercover
An eye for visuals
SUSAN WYNDHAM A child's introduction to book design; a novel opportunity for budding writers; and the issue of anonymous book reviews.
Making the most of leftovers
Steve Manfredi Roasted a chook and have loads leftover? Here's how to use the meat in other delicious dishes.
Kristen Wiig
The last laugh: funny woman Kristen Wiig gets serious
LENNY ANN LOW She's one of the hottest stars of comedy on big screen and small but Kristen Wiig insists she's still learning her craft.
A political transformer
Don Anderson Two wildly divergent books remember a prime minister who wore ''rhetoric like an existential overcoat''.
Aye robots - but we're still gods of earth
RICHARD GLOVER Robotics experts have confided they are unable to produce a robot that can put out the rubbish, at least in the foreseeable future. Apparently it's the old Dalek problem: taking out the rubbish often involves getting up and down steps. They also confess they'll have problems providing a robot that can fold and sort laundry.
Bright ideas
Cheryl Maddocks Colourful plants and simple chores help prepare the backyard for festive gatherings.
Can calm come in a can?
Paula Goodyer Herbal fizzy drinks that claim to help with relaxation and sleep are on the rise.
The Christmas list
Lenny Ann Low If plastic Santas on rooftops or crowded tinsel-soaked shopping centres get your Yuletide goat, fear not. Spectrum has selected a bevy of events across the arts (and the shops) to soothe, tickle, enchant and maybe even stir your heart.
Review
The Gilded Cage review: deft manoeuvres
Sandra Hall Stereotypes are tweaked for universal appeal in this zippy French satire.
Detective heroes with close connections a quintessentially rural breed
Sue Turnbull While Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler have come to stand for a whole school of American hard-boiled crime writing, in years to come I cheerfully predict Peter Temple and Garry Disher will be identified as the crime writers who redefined Australian crime fiction in terms of its form, content and style.
Gifted observer of a golden age
Review By Adrian McKinty In 1933, Patrick Leigh Fermor was 18 years old and washed up: he'd been expelled from school, couldn't get into university and had no idea what to do with his life. So, inspired by the likes of Peter Fleming, Robert Byron, and Alexander Kinglake, Fermor decided to walk from London to Constantinople with the vague idea of making a book out of his adventures.
Review
Night Train to Lisbon review: lost in thought
Paul Byrnes Repression and romance simmer in a ponderous, revolutionary tale.
Omara Moctar's purple haze in desert blues
PETER VINCENT An African herdsman from a troubled region takes inspiration from a Western master.
The History of Classical Music on 100 CDs review: The box set that delivers it all
Barney Zwartz This is the era of the mega-box set featuring the complete recordings of a performer, or the collected works of a composer, or the anniversary of a record label. It keeps the catalogue full, is vastly cheaper than equivalent new recordings, and keeps music lovers like myself interested - and a little irritated. What do you do when you already have half the CDs in a mega-box: duplicate them to get the ones you don't have or shrug and miss out? Often the sets are so enticingly priced - the cost of two or three of the CDs first time round - that it is not much of an issue.
Live from KCRW review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds put on a captivating performance
Exhausted at the end of an arduous tour, stripped back to a five-piece and not a single one of them really wanting to be there. As auguries go, that's a good list of reasons why the performance by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds recorded at a Los Angeles radio station this year wouldn't be worth much excitement for anyone but completists.
Role models
Ruth Ritchie Drama offers nuanced portrayals of women, while reality TV is still a dignity-free zone.
Alan Davies finds the joy in jests
Stephanie Bunbury Pain and pathos provide rich inspiration for Alan Davies.
Tips from a cover star
Ray Edgar A lively book aimed at youngsters explores the power of images and typography.
Macadamia recipes: Grilled prawns with lime and Queensland Cake
FRANK CAMORRA Macadamias add crunch and flavour to sweet and savoury summer dishes.
