Ever since it was announced that an adaptation of the science fiction novel masterpiece Dune was in the making by genius Denis Villeneuve, I have decided to read the novel. Usually science fiction is not my favourite genre, neither for books nor for films, but every now and then I make exceptions. This is certainly a book (and film, from what is know so far before its release) that is worthy of being read by every reader - so I have tackled its 800 pages, which accounts for at least the first volume of the Dune saga.

The filmography of Quentin Tarantino is impressive, and includes many masterpieces I admire (like most cinephiles - how could you not?). His career as a writer, however, has so far been limited to the publication of some screenplays - until now. Recently, a novelization of his most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, was published. A must read for me, and it was certainly worth it - here is why.

Our most recent book club choice has been on my list since it came out last year, and it is so deserving of all the praise and awards. My favorite book of the year so far, and this right after reading Shuggie Bain and Homegoing which I both really loved. The idea of British writer Maggie O‘Farrell is simple and genius at the same time: Hamnet is a vision of the life of playwright William Shakespeare, based on the little biographical information available.

I recently watched Paths of Glory, a masterpiece by Stanley Kubrick. Somehow I’d never even had it on my watchlist because honestly, watching films about WW1 is never enjoyable. If it is made by Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas, it is certainly worth watching, though. So I’m glad I got a chance to see it in a work context. Here is why.

Some films are on our watchlists for a long time, and when one finally watches them one regrets having waited so long. Road to Perdition was such a film for me: despite many reasons for watching it, it never seemed to be the right time for it, until this year. It left me impressed and remained on my mind - so much that I'm recommending it here, despite being an older production. Here is why.

As a loyal reader of all of Ishiguro's work, I have been looking forward to the publication of this novel since I read the last pages of his previous novel The Buried Giant in 2015. Since Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017, he has been even more in the spotlight, so his newest novel Klara and the Sun has been highly anticipated. In my opinion, it was worth the wait.

Since travelling is still not really happening, and winter doesn't fully want to let go, I've been dreaming of tropical faraway places. One of the most magical places I've ever been to is the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i, where the landscapes looks otherworldly and stunning. A must visit for nature lovers.

Before the Oscar nominations come out, here's my tip of one of the most talked-about films up for nominations. Minari is a feature film made by American director Lee Isaac Chung, who is the son of Korean immigrants. The film tells a story of such an immigration in the 1980s, following a family of four who move to a rural area to achieve their American dream. 

The adventures of Arsène Lupin are popular books in France and elsewhere, so the anticipation of a series based on the work of Maurice Leblanc was high. Combining the French star Omar Sy with a beautiful Paris setting and a fast-paced story, the series Lupin is bound to be successful.

A Western is not what I expected from director Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks - but they have achieved just that with News of the World, and did a decent job at that. The tale of a travelling news man in the harsh world shortly after the American Civil War, who comes across an orphaned girl in need of transportation to her only remaining family. The film is worth watching for several reasons.

The Goldfinch was one of my favourites novels of my reading challenge last year. It is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning bestseller from 2014. Despite being very long, this masterpiece kept my attention until the end. Recently I watched the film adaptation, which brought back some thoughts about The Goldfinch.

When it became known that Shonda Rhimes, the creator of popular shows such as Grey's Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder, would make a series for Netflix based on some romance novels, many were excited. I personally haven't read the novels by Julia Quinn about the large Bridgerton family, but I thought I'd give the series a chance - like a record-breaking number of other viewers as well. My verdict is very mixed, but here's why watching Bridgerton is worth it.

A highly anticipated new film, which has visuals and a message that are very unusual and striking. Inspired by the notorious criminal case of Brock Turner, a Stanford student who assaulted an unconscious woman, and was later described as a "Promising Young Man". The film Promising Young Woman tells the story of Cassie, a woman troubled by events during her time at university, and trying to both move forward but also take revenge.

While I spend many days in the mountains every winter, this year is different. One one hand, I cherish nature even more than normally, because there is some normalcy in it, and it allows me to recharge my batteries. On the other hand, many usual enjoyments are limited due to corona restrictions, so winter time this year is rather going for walks in the snow in areas without large numbers of people. Nevertheless, the beauty is splendid as ever, and I just want to share some as every year.

Despite many delayed film releases and closed cinemas for much of the year, 2020 was a good film for the film business in terms of quality and creativity. Some films were already finished had had their release in 2020 in real cinemas, other were shown only on the small screen or only in a few countries with open cinemas. Here are my 10 favourite films of the year, which I saw at the cinema, the ZFF festival or on a streaming platform.  

In 2020, I had more time to read, like many others around the globe. So I took it as an opportunity to also think more about my reading and revive my Goodreads account. Besides listing all the books I've read (as far as I can remember), I challenged myself to read 30 books this year. Here are the results.

These days the TV and streaming programs are filled with Christmas movies, but plenty of them are unwatchable in my opinion. The number of cheesy and exaggerated films is excessive, and others are made only for an audience that is very young. So here's a list of Christmas films that are moving, festive, funny and/or just entertaining, without too much of a cringe factor. 

These days I miss the mountains a lot. It's been a while since I was there, as I've had a lot of work and I'm reluctant to enter any gondola or funicular these days. So our weekends were spent rather in the city, where luckily there has also been some snow to create a wintry atmosphere. Memories of past winters with hiking, snowboarding and sunbathing in the mountains surrounded by snow and beauty keep popping up - not only in my mind, but also on my social media feed.

By chance, I read something about a short film related to a deaf girl. When looking it up, I found that it has just recently been made available and I was thus able to watch it. The Silent Child is an inspiring and moving short film, which tells the story of a social worker who is hired to help a deaf girl. A wonderful piece of art, which I recommend to everyone interested in education and teaching, but also in disabilities and how to create a safe, respectful environment for people with any kind of disabilities.

While November is usually not my favourite month of the year, it certainly has its advantages as well. One of them is - at least in the Zurich area - the foggy magic. While it's quite grey and sometimes bleak to be underneath it, it can be wonderful when it lifts or dissolves, or when you can go above it. Here is some inspiration for fog watching.

Dark Waters is a film that has been a bit delayed due to the pandemic, but is now shown in most European cinemas and partly already available on demand. This film by renowned director Todd Haynes retells the true story of a lawyer’s fight against chemical giant DuPont in West Virginia, in possibly  the most important legal drama of David versus Goliath since award-winning Erin Brockovich.

While I've always been an avid reader, this year has certainly been different. I've had more time to read, and also done so more consciously. So here's a selection of mostly newer novels I've read this year, which I can recommend for various reasons. (This list only includes works of fiction.)

This limited series consists of 7 episodes, and is probably one of the best series of that length I've seen so far. It is based on the novel The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis, and tells the story of an orphaned girl who discovers her talent for chess. Even if you don't know much about chess, this is a serious that is very entertaining and so well-shot and written that it's a joy to watch.

Well, this is not really a recommendation but rather a celebration of some things that are brightening up the autumn days. Nature is one of the few things that is always open these days, and brings me a lot of joy.  Enjoying it, while also collecting some parts to take home, and capturing some of the autumnal beauty in the form of pictures is one of my favourite things at the moment.

Since watching the film Call Me by Your Name by Luca Guadagnino, I have been enchanted not only by the film (and book) but also the places in it. Since I live close to Italy and my whole family loves it there, I have visited many areas, but none of the towns in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia where the film was shot. This autumn, I visited some locations, and it was wonderful.

The new adaptation of Rebecca has been highly anticipated, because it’s rare for anyone to take on a remake of a Hitchcock film. In this case, it was of course rather an adaptation of Du Maurier‘s original novel, but it’s impossible to watch this new film without thinking of the wonderful 1940 version with Laurence Olivier. While the new Rebecca might not satisfy all fans, it is definitely worth returning to Manderley (in contrast to some earlier TV adaptations between 1940 and now).

One of the most famous bookshops in Europe, Libreria Acqua Alta (High Water) is located in the old town of Venice in Italy. It is full of unusual objects and wonderful installations, which have made it into a tourist attraction and a meeting spot for bibliophiles.

Aaron Sorkin has long been one of the greatest screenwriters in Hollywood, specialising in dialogue-heavy, witty dramas. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is only his second feature film as a director (after Molly's Game), but is a well-crafted film which is impactful, and which could not be more important to be seen by wide audiences now. Here's why.

While further trips are still difficult to undertake, small excursions are possible and provide a nice activity, especially when being outdoors on a beautiful day. The village of Morcote is one of my favourite places in my country, and a recent trip there has reminded me again of some of its most beautiful spots. 

One of the most haunting films I’ve seen at this year’s Zurich Film Festival is Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Director Eliza Hittman tells a very relevant and realistic story, which leaves an impact on its audience. It tells the tale of two girls travelling to New York to get an abortion, because the law does not allow the procedure where they live. besides being an intimate film about their relationship, it is also a that criticises the system, and is very current it its topics.

Soon the annual Zurich Film Festival will start, and while it's a bit different in this unusual year, there is still plenty to look forward to. The big names are not able to attend because of restrictions, but there are plenty of great films on the program. Here's a list of 10 films I'm looking forward to seeing based on crew, cast and first reviews by journalists. 

Since having won the Booker Prize in 2019 (along with Margaret Atwood), Anglo-Nigerian writer Bernardino Evaristo has been widely discussed and reviewed. Her novel Woman, Girl, Other is a wonderful modern book, showing a side of today's Britain which is not often read about.

A beloved novel by master storyteller Charles Dickens is always a solid basis for an adaptation, as has been shown plenty of times. Most of his novels are not, however, as hilarious as The Personal History of David Copperfield, and therefore this film is very different from adaptations such as Great Expectations. It's the coming-of-age story of young David Copperfield, who experiences various living situations from poverty and wealth, all set in Victorian England.

The film Corpus Christi, originally titled Boze Cialo, has gotten some attention this winter after it was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Foreign Language Film. In a very strong year, including masterpieces such as Parasite and Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, it did not win, but it is definitely worth watching. It will be shown in Swiss cinemas from today on (September 3rd), and will also be available more widely.

For the last decade, I've spent numerous holidays in Poland, exploring different parts of the country. After visiting some more beautiful places this summer, her comes a list of 10 places I found very charming and worth travelling to. They range from cities to castles to natural wonders, and can be found all over the country.

One of the essential Victorian writers, Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is famous mainly for his novels nowadays, but also wrote a lot of poetry. Often dealing with themes of love and family as well as pressures of society and social position, his work gives an insightful view of Victorian England. While his earlier novels are more hopeful, his later work is often tragic and was also controversial, as he did not shy away from criticism of certain moral or legal standards of his time.

The closure of cinemas has delayed the release of this film, but has also hyped up expectations. After films such as Inception, Interstellar and Dunkirk, the film community is excited every time director Christopher Nolan is sharing one of his visions with the world. This was no different for the thriller Tenet, which has now been released in some countries and is one of the first big films to be widely played since the cinema lockdown. In this spoiler-free review, find out why you should also go see it on the big screen.

The story of the Italian-American families who once ruled New York and spread fear are well-known, and glorified in numerous mafia feature films. This documentary series reveals the details of the real families, the FBI agents involved in their takedown and the lawyers who brought them to justice. Gripping and well-shot.

A book which is entertaining and enjoyable to read, while at the same time also discussing deep, controversial topics in an unconventional way - Drive Your Plough over the Bones of the Dead combines both. The title, which admittedly is quite a mouthful, is taken from a poem by William Blake, whose work plays an important role in the novel.

Director Francois Ozon has long been a favourite of mine, having created masterpieces such as 8 femmes or 5x2. His new film Été 85 was supposed to be shown at the film festival in Cannes this summer, but has now been brought to cinemas faster because of the pandemic. The film tells the complex story of a teenager in Normandy, who falls in love with an older boy and experiences deep emotions.

The icy giants in the mountains hold an irresistible lure, even more so in times when we watch them melt a bit more every year. I personally have had many glacier adventures on several glaciers, in Switzerland and abroad, and have always enjoyed them while also keeping plenty of respect. Recently, I revisited one of the most spectacular glaciers in the Alps, which is also the largest one: the Aletsch glacier. 

The film Waves has been shown in 2019 at several film festival, and received critical acclaim. Now it is being released in some countries, so that it's possible for a wider audience to see it where cinemas have reopened. It tells a family story in Florida, which is deeply moving and a magical visual experience.

This wonderful novel by Colm Toibin embodies the start of America and the history of Brooklyn’s development like no other. It tells the story of an Irish girl immigrating to the USA in the 1950s. Besides being a successful and utterly engrossing novel, it is also the basis for a film shot in 2015.