I’m back in Bern after thirty days in the US. With my nephew getting married in Napa Valley, my husband and I decided to drive from Vancouver, BC, where I did my last two years of high school, to Calistoga, CA, via Washington, Oregon, and the northern Californian coast. It was a great trip thatContinue reading “Emotion Work”
Category Archives: Switzerland
Teacup or Water Glass?
I was playing tennis with a Swiss friend recently, and the third time I dropped the ball I said, in German, “I can’t believe I’m such a butterfingers today.” It’s almost the same word in German as in English, even if the vowels are pronounced differently: Butterfinger. Except that it doesn’t exist in German, soContinue reading “Teacup or Water Glass?”
PESTICIDE in Your Ears
Great news! Pesticide audiobook comes out today. The Pesticide audiobook was produced by Tantor Media, and I was delighted to discover that they used two readers, Romy Nordlinger for Giuliana and Tim Campbell for Renzo. Nordlinger is a TV, movie, and stage actor (I think the word “actress” is gone, right?), and Campbell has won Audie andContinue reading “PESTICIDE in Your Ears”
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”
A Breeze by Any Other Name?
My family’s house in Old San Juan was built (probably around 1850) to admit as much breeze and as little sunlight as possible. Only one of the three thick double doors across the front opened to the street. The other two were blocked by decorative wooden bars, so they could safely be left ajar toContinue reading “A Breeze by Any Other Name?”
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”
The Latest News on PESTICIDE!
Hello, dear friends, family, and blog-post followers. I’m in New York for my book launch, and lots has been happening. But first: you are invited to the launch of Pesticide at the Mysterious Book Shop, 58 Warren Street (near the World Trade Center) in downtown Manhattan. It’s on Tuesday, April 19 at 6-7 p.m. ThereContinue reading “The Latest News on PESTICIDE!”
Ukrainian Refugees in Switzerland
Guest Essay from The Local by Clare O’Dea Tomorrow I’m flying to the US for the first time since August 2019. Thanks to Corona, I’ve been away longer than ever before. I’m very much looking forward to being back, mainly to see friends and family—and to hear American English around me—but also because I’m co-hostingContinue reading “Ukrainian Refugees in Switzerland”
The Happy Swiss
In a recent email, a friend shared the news that Switzerland has just come in fourth in a UN rating of the world’s happiest countries—something I didn’t know. So I decided to find out what this ranking means. If you follow my blog, you know how much I enjoy living in Switzerland and how attachedContinue reading “The Happy Swiss”
Switzerland’s Golden Girls—and Boys
The Beijing Winter Games ended Sunday night, and just when you thought you wouldn’t have to hear the word “Olympics” again until July 2024, you’re confronted with a post about Swiss skiing medalists. And I can’t even ski! Ah, but I’m Swiss, which explains it all. Okay, I’m a double citizen, Swiss/US, but when itContinue reading “Switzerland’s Golden Girls—and Boys”
Kim Hays 