1 December 2023
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On ‘Between the Covers’ with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about fun books. Listeners contributed their picks, and here's Nicole's recommendations.

Nicole's picks are:

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

• Sorrow & Bliss by Meg Mason

• Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

• Emma by Jane Austen

• Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

6 October 2023
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about memoirs.

Listeners contributed their picks, and here's Nicole's recommendations:

• The Museum of Words by Georgia Blain

• Aphrodite’s Breath by Susan Johnson

• No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani

• Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

• Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

• A Life of my Own by Claire Tomalin

22 September 2023
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Afternoons regular book chat Between the Covers looks at the crime books that go beyond the crime and feature fascinating story lines and characters.

Anna Low is an independent book seller who owns Potts Point Bookshop, and is a former Miles Franklin judge.  

Here's her recommendations

• The Secret Hours by Mick Herron 

• A Chateau Under Siege  by Martin Walker

• The Last Remains by Ellie Griffiths

• Winter Work by Dan Fesperman

25 August 2023
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On Between the Covers with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's time to start thinking about Father's Day presents. 

Nicole recommends Be Mine by Richard Ford, Thaw by Denis Glover and Southern Aurora by Mark Brandi. 

For fans of non-fiction, she suggests War and Punishment by Russian dissident journalist Mikhail Zygar, Fatherland by Burkhard Bilger or The Real Work by Adam Gopnik. 

Josh's picks include Wifedom by Anna Funder, or her earlier book Stasiland, Jonathan Franzen's books, Roald Dahl's adult short stories or Stephen King's Misery.

11 August 2023
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Not enough time to read a book - why not try an essay?

Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books joins Josh for Between the Covers to talk essays. 

Here's Nicole's favourite essays: 

• Happy Go Lucky by David Sedaris ­

• Manel Pieces by Hilary Mantel

• Sneaky Little Revolutions by Charmian Clift

• True Stories by Helen Garner

• Feel Free by Zadie Smith

• Everything in its Place by Oliver Sacks

14 July 2023
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Do you enjoy reading short stories? Nicole Abadee told Josh Szeps about some of her favourites.

• Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner 

• The True Colours of the Sea by Robert Drewe 

• Sorry for Your Trouble by Richard Ford 

• After the Funeral by Tessa Hadley

• Dark as Last Night by Tony Birch

2 June 2023
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This National Reconciliation Week, Nicole Abadee shares her favourite books by and about Indigenous Australians.

• Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) by Anita Heiss

• Dark as Last Night by Tony Birch

• The Secret River by Kate Grenville

• We Come With this Place by Debra Dank

• The Yield by Tara June Winch

• Talking to My Country by Stan Grant 

5 May 2023
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Gift buying is easy thanks to this week’s episode of ‘Between the Covers’ with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books.

You’ll be favourite child when you present mum with one of these page turners, as recommended by Nicole:

Fiction

The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracy Lien

Non-fiction

Aphrodite’s Breath by Susan Johnson

Tell Me Again by Amy Thunig

Everything and Nothing by Heather Mitchell

21 April 2023
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, we're looking at tales of reading, writing, and words - books about books. Listeners contributed their picks, and here's Nicole's recommendations.

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

• The Library Book by Susan Orleans

• The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams

• A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders

• The Gift of Reading edited by Jennie Orchard

• Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman

You can also hear Nicole's favourite books about families here. 

24 March 2023
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about novels that explore the inner workings of families.  Listeners contributed their picks, and here's Nicole's recommendations.

• Cloudstreet by Tim Winton 

• Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (and The Corrections)

• We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce carol Oates

• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

• Tell Me Again by Amy Thunig (non-fiction – memoir) 

• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

• Harry Potter and Lord of the Flies

10 March 2023
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What is it about university campuses that invite so much intrigue and drama?

For decades fictional filmmakers and authors have been selling us universities as hot beds of sex, crime and coming of age tales. Never usually much learning or research going on.

In this week's Between the Covers, Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of podcast Books, Books, Books, tells Afternoons presenter Josh Szeps what makes this genre one of her favourites.  

Nicole's top five novels about campus life are: 

• The Secret History by Donna Tartt

• Life After Truth by Ceridwen Dovey

• Love & Virtue by Diana Reid

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

• I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

23 February 2023
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It's the Afternoons "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books.

Nicole joined Josh Szeps to talk about her favourite books about friendship.

Here are Nicole's picks:

• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

• Apeirogon by Colum McCann

• The Weekend by Charlotte Wood

• Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

• The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

10 February 2023
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books.

Nicole has had a big summer of reading and she joins Josh to share her picks.

Fiction:

•  I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

• Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

• This Devastating Fever by Sophie Cunningham

• We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

Non-fiction

• Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life by Brigitta Olubas

12 December 2022
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about Nicole's non fiction favourites that she recommends for great Christmas gifts.

Here are Nicole's picks

• The Story of Russia by Orlando Figes

• The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland

• Surrender by Bono

• The Place Papers by Tina Brown

• Cressida Campbell – about the exhibition at the NGA

• Shirley Hazzard A Writing Life by Brigitta Olubas

• Cook by Karen Martini

2 Decemebr 2022
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about Nicole's fiction favouries that she recommends for great Christmas gifts.

Here's Nicole's picks:

International fiction

Lessons by Ian McEwan

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 

They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey

Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie

Australian Fiction

Faithless by Alice Nelson

Seeing Other People by Diana Reid

18 November 2022
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about thrillers.  Listeners contributed their picks, and here's Nicole's recommendations.

Nicole's picks are:

• The Dry by Jane Harper

• The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett

• When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

• Treasure & Dirt by Chris Hammer

• Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

• The Spy and The Traitor by Ben McIntyre

21 October 2022
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about funny books.  Listeners contributed their picks, and here's Nicole's recommendations.

Nicole's picks are:

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine

The Weekend by Charlotte Wood

The Shark Net by Robert Drewe

Anything by David Sedaris – his latest is Happy Go Lucky

7 October 2022
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about tearjerker books.  Listeners contributed their picks, and here's Nicole's recommendations.

Nicole's picks are:

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

• A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

• The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (non-fiction)

• Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner

If you're more of a fan of short books you can hear and see Nicole's recommendations for short books here. 

26 September 2022
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about great short books.  Listeners contributed their picks, and here's Nicole's recommendations.

• Mantel Pieces (2020) by Hilary Mantel 

• Oh William! (2021) by Elizabeth Strout (240 pages)

• The Children’s Bach by Helen Garner

• The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (150 pages)

• How Decent Folk Behave by Maxine Beneba Clarke (poetry)

• On Chesil Beach (2007) by Ian McEwan 

• The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante

• Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift

You can also hear Nicole's best short reads too. 

12 August 2022
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On "Between the Covers" with Nicole Abadee, books writer for Good Weekend and host of the podcast Books, Books, Books, it's all about the books that changed you. Josh's pick is Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins, and Nicole's included Anna Funder's All That I Am which taught her about enormous moral and intellectual courage.

29 July 2022
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Every fortnight Afternoons delves Between the Covers with Good Weekend journalist and Books writer. Festival moderator. Podcaster - “Books, Books, Books”, Nicole Abadee. Listen in for Nicole's recommendations and a few from our well read listeners.