Whispering Gums

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

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Epistolary works

Jane Austen, Lady Susan, revisited (#BookReview)

August 18, 2024August 22, 2024 / Whispering Gums / 24 Comments

I have read Jane Austen's Lady Susan several times, including with my local Jane Austen group in 2014 (my review). That now being ten years ago, we decided it was time to read - and consider - it again. However, as my time was tight, I decided to try an audiobook version, and found a … Continue reading Jane Austen, Lady Susan, revisited (#BookReview)

Maria Edgeworth, Leonora (#BookReview)

March 6, 2019March 6, 2019 / Whispering Gums / 18 Comments

My Jane Austen group decided to start the year by discussing one of Austen's precursors, not to mention favourite writers, Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849). Edgeworth was born eight years before Austen and lived much longer than Austen's not quite 42 years - lucky her! She was also prolific, so we had plenty to choose from. According … Continue reading Maria Edgeworth, Leonora (#BookReview)

Jane Austen, Lady Susan (Review)

October 19, 2014April 26, 2025 / Whispering Gums / 10 Comments

It is a truth universally acknowledged - I know this is a tired old joke but I seem programmed to do it - that Jane Austen fans will collect multiple editions of her works. There are many reasons for this behaviour, but one of them is our interest in different introductions. And so, although I … Continue reading Jane Austen, Lady Susan (Review)

Annabel Smith, The Ark (Review)

October 12, 2014November 23, 2018 / Whispering Gums / 17 Comments

I must start by thanking Western Australian short story writer Glen Hunting* for recommending Annabel Smith's The Ark in his comment on a recent Monday Musings post. Hunting wrote that it "is self-published and available as a print book, e-book, app, and has its own interactive website". I was intrigued so checked it out. My initial reaction … Continue reading Annabel Smith, The Ark (Review)

Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road

February 19, 2011April 26, 2025 / Whispering Gums / 19 Comments

Before you all (well, those of you of a certain age at least) gasp and wonder how it could be that I haven't read this delightful little tome before, I assure you that I have. However, on our drive home today from our week at the coast, we listened to an unabridged audiobook version, and … Continue reading Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road

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Recent Whisperings

  • Maxine Beneba Clarke, Beautiful changelings (#BookReview)
  • Monday musings on Australian literature: National Poet Laureate for Australia
  • Vale Michael Sollis (1985-2026)
  • Six degrees of separation, FROM Wild dark shore TO …
  • Monday musings on Australian literature: Vale David Malouf (1934-2026)

Latest comments

  1. Boy Swallows Universe Book: Summary, True Story, and Review - Downunderreport.net on Trent Dalton, Boy swallows universe (#BookReview)May 8, 2026

    […] Debut novel by Trent Dalton (2018) (Whispering Gums) […]

  2. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Vale Michael Sollis (1985-2026)May 7, 2026

    Good point Melanie. Michael also exhorted people to check out early symptoms. And thanks for that lovely message to Michael.

  3. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Vale Michael Sollis (1985-2026)May 7, 2026

    Thankyou Stefanie … that’s lovely of you.

  4. Stefanie's avatar
    Stefanie on Vale Michael Sollis (1985-2026)May 7, 2026

    Such sad news. I am so sorry. My heart goes out to you and everyone he touched.

  5. Grab the Lapels's avatar
    Grab the Lapels on Vale Michael Sollis (1985-2026)May 6, 2026

    It's devastating when a young person dies of cancer, but I always try to honor them by thinking of all…

Past Whisperings

Recently Popular Whisperings

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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.

Copyright on my content

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

Copyright on images used in this blog

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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