Current reads

Pope Francis on a recent visit to Canada apologised to the country’s native population for the church’s treatment of children in the Indian residential school system. Michelle Good’s chronicles the story of five survivors who struggle with the abuse suffered at the hands of the church after being torn from their families under Canadian policy. Compassionate and never voyeuristic, the fictionalised accounts offer a broad insight into the trauma suffered under a programme probably little known outside of the country. Insightful and moving. CS

Rocklines is a stunning poetic journey into the Minett Unesco biosphere, written by Italian author and , who works at the Luxembourg natural history museum (MNHA). There are reflections on history, the movement of time and details about the landscapes and relationships with it, all peppered with beautiful descriptions about colours, lines and more. Extra thought was taken as well to include pages for readers’ own reflections. I had the pleasure to do a geopoetic hike with the two authors some years ago, and it was an eye-opening experience, echoed in this book. The publication is available in English and French via Éditions Phi or at the gift shop, as well as local bookshops. NG

Doctor Zhivago is well-loved as the 1965 David Lean movie with Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin. But author Boris Pasternak’s story about a doctor caught in the throes of the Bolshevik revolution and rise of the Soviet Union was also seen as a powerful propaganda tool by the CIA, which helped smuggle the manuscript outside of Russia for publication. offers a novelised account of that story. Mixing fact and fiction, it is worth reading up on the true account. While the novel veers off into the personal stories of its protagonists, it makes for an entertaining summer read. CS

Digital highlights

With a certain tournament missing this summer, those looking for some football nostalgia can head to on Instagram to witness a football being made from: eight pairs of Nike Air Force 1s, a bunch of discarded Doc Martens boots or some red and black Adidas Predators (for a tribute ball to Steven Gerrard since those were his boots of choice) and much more. TG

Listen to this

Kudos to Luxembourg for putting on a fabulous Blues’n Jazz Rallye this year. It’s one of my favourite flagship events, and it had been so long since the last edition. Several Delanites met up at Parc Mansfeld to dance away to Amsterdam-based band . The band plays a lot with rhythms, so the show was a great crowd-pleaser, plus the percussion, trumpet and slide trombone all made for a funky, fresh sound. NG

I came across Naked Cameo quite randomly thanks to an Instagram video, only to find out that the Austrian electro-pop band’s first album had been a commercial success, with one single even going viral in Germany and Austria. Described by Europavox to have a “melancholic, synthy quality”, the band’s album Of Two Minds is worth a listen. The song is definitely an on-repeat track for me. TH 

The third album by Welsh artist Gwenno--Tresor--was this week quite rightly short-listed for the prestigious Mercury Prize in the UK. A gorgeous swoon of a record, Tresor is sung in Cornish (Gwenno’s father was from Cornwall), as was her second album Le Kov. But Tresor takes the psychedelic pop sensibilities to the next level, with songs like the title track and latest outtake Annima providing beautiful, dreamy soundscapes, often with a touch of mediaeval instrumentation and topped by Gwenno’s sublime vocals. DR

Essential viewing

Warren Jeffs, a leader in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), in 2011 was convicted on child sexual assault charges. chronicles the rise of Jeffs in the church, following in the footsteps of his father, Rulon Jeffs, and the cult’s practice of polygamy and child marriage. Survivors who left the FLDS and helped bring down Jeffs, journalists and justice officials provide insight on the case and an organisation that still exists as a powerful sub-sect of Mormonism and preaches its extremist patriarchal code. CS

For foodies

Situated in the Gare district on Rue Joseph Junck, Shifu Ramen offers a somewhat pastiche experience of a Japanese ramen store, but remains delicious considering its affordable prices. The darkened rooms with wooden stalls and red lanterns provide a lovely atmosphere (if you can put aside the anime decor) while the tablet on each table through which you order your food helps the uninitiated pick a dish. If it's any indication of its popularity, the shop seems quite busy during lunch, so unless you have a lot of time to spare, I would recommend booking a table ahead of time or visiting the restaurant later during the day. TH

If your taste buds are tingling for a different kind of cuisine in Luxembourg--which should really be every day considering the variety you will easily find in the grand duchy--the Lebanese restaurant Phenicia is a must-try. Located at 5 Rue André Duchscher, the restaurant offers a daily buffet--which on the contrary is hard to find--in its exquisite Mediterranean setting with a live band stand and multiple flavours to keep you curious and satisfied. AO