I just found out that the audiobook of Pesticide, the first Linder and Donatelli mystery—the book in which Renzo and Giuliana fall for each other while solving two murders—is available at half price. Click below if you’d like to listen to the first half hour or buy a copy! https://www.audiobooks.com/promotions/promotedBook/595022/pesticide?refId=209459
Category Archives: Farming
A Joyful Novel
I’m not even going to try to come up with a list of the best books I read in 2023. But I can tell you about the book that delighted me most: Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake. A review in the Guardian calls it “an engaging exploration of contentment,” but I’m glad I didn’t read thatContinue reading “A Joyful Novel”
Bern Learns to Eat Pumpkins
Countless things, big and small, serious and frivolous, have changed since I moved to Bern thirty-five years ago. The people filling the city’s streets are no longer 98% white, and grocery stores now offer shelves full of Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Mexican food. There are many popular East- and South-Asian restaurants and even one Ethiopian place;Continue reading “Bern Learns to Eat Pumpkins”
Sons and Brothers
The freezing rains of late November and the icy rush of the Aare as it loops around the city of Bern set the scene for Sons and Brothers, the second Polizei Bern novel, which was published on April 18 and can be ordered on Amazon or through https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Sons-Brothers/Kim-Hays/9781645060581 In this book Giuliana Linder and RenzoContinue reading “Sons and Brothers”
PESTICIDE in an Organic Garden
Where do you celebrate the publication of a book about organic farming in Bern? On an organic farm, of course. And if you want to party in the city so no one has to drive? Well, then you need a small organic farm—or, to be precise, an organic garden, ideally one that’s right in theContinue reading “PESTICIDE in an Organic Garden”
The End of the Ice Saints
Yesterday I planted a last batch of sweet alyssum on my balcony. Every scrap of space in my pots and boxes is filled. From now until the end of October, I can sit back, water, and watch the flowers grow. Most of my flower-planting, however, I did off and on between May 7 and May 15,Continue reading “The End of the Ice Saints”
Beauty in Black and White
It has been at least twenty-five years since I discovered a Swiss art-form called paper-cutting or Scherenschnitte. And now I’ve discovered a new Swiss paper-cutter, Marc Schweizer, who’s about to have a show of his work in the Alps. Although the Chinese had already been making paper-cuts for at least 1500 years, the craft didn’tContinue reading “Beauty in Black and White”
Cheese: One of the Basic Swiss Food Groups
“A big bowl of hot boiled potatoes and some cheese? For fifty people?” Peter’s and my wedding had been in the US. Now my in-laws wanted to give a buffet dinner for us in Bern, to celebrate with Swiss family and friends. When Peter told me the main course, I was . . . well,Continue reading “Cheese: One of the Basic Swiss Food Groups”
Telling Swiss Farmers What to Do
I can’t remember the last time I didn’t know who or what to vote for. “Undecided” is not a category I ever find myself in, at least not when it comes to politics. On June 13, however, Switzerland is voting on two initiatives that would force Swiss farmers to give up pesticide, and I don’tContinue reading “Telling Swiss Farmers What to Do”
Kim Hays 