Whispering Gums

Books, reading and more … with an Australian focus … written on Ngunnawal Country

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Coen Brothers

Hail, Caesar: Not a movie review, not really

February 27, 2016March 5, 2016 / Whispering Gums / 32 Comments

I go to the movies reasonably regularly and have seen many movies in the last few months. Some impressed me immensely, such as Spotlight and Brooklyn; some I enjoyed a lot with the odd reservation, such as Carol, The Danish Girl and The Belier Family; and others I could see the skill but they left me a little cold, … Continue reading Hail, Caesar: Not a movie review, not really

Can the Coens be serious?

November 27, 2009March 5, 2016 / Whispering Gums / Leave a comment

Of course they can! In fact many of their films are comic with a dark side. This is particularly so of the first film of theirs that I saw, Fargo. It is one of those films you don't forget. I don't blog about all the films I see, and when I do blog about them, … Continue reading Can the Coens be serious?

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  1. Marcie McCauley's avatar
    Marcie McCauley on Stella Prize 2026 Winner announcedMay 14, 2026

    This was on my TBR already, but the idea that it's funny makes me extra keen to read it! I…

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    Grab the Lapels on Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (17), Women readers (1)May 14, 2026

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    That makes sense.

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    Stefanie on Six degrees of separation, FROM Wild dark shore TO …May 14, 2026

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    Marcie McCauley on Six degrees of separation, FROM Wild dark shore TO …May 13, 2026

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Australian Literary Awards for (mostly) Fiction, 2026


The Age Book of the Year:
ALS Gold Medal:
Australian Book Industry Award (Literary Fiction):
Barbara Jefferis Award:
Indie Book Awards (Fiction):
Miles Franklin Award:
NSW Premier's Literary Award (Christina Stead Prize):
Patrick White Award:
Prime Minister's Literary Award:
Queensland Literary (Fiction) Award:
South Australian Literary Awards:
Stella Prize:
Victorian Premier's Literary (Fiction) Award: Omar Musa, Fierceland
Western Australian Premier's Book of the Year Award:

Acknowledgement of Country

I acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the nation in which I live, of land that was never ceded. I honour and respect their cultural heritage, customs and beliefs, and am truly thankful for their ongoing care of this country.

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This work by Whispering Gums is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareALike 4.0 International

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I am careful about the images I use in this blog. Some of them are my own, some I've specifically obtained permission to use from an owner, and some book cover thumbnails are used under fair use provisions. However, I have used others under Creative Commons (and similar licences) when the owners have indicated on their sites/pages that they release their material under such licences. Where possible, I have tried to properly attribute the owners/creators of uploaded images. If you think I have breached your copyright in any way please let me know. Any photos not attributed to others or to public domain are mine. Unless otherwise specified, you are welcome to use them under the Creative Commons license described under Copyright on my content above.

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