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{{newreview
|title=Buddhaland Brooklyn
|author=Richard C Morais
|rating=5
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=Seido Oda has lived all of his life in the shadow of the Head Temple of the Clearwater Sect of Mahayana Buddhism. His family home was an inn which catered to the pilgrims who flocked to the temple, and his mother a devout member of the sect. He seemed marked for the priesthood from an early age, and at age 11 was handed over to the guardianship of the priests to begin his apprenticeship. Seido's young life is blighted by tragedy, and a promise he could not keep, and although a devout follower of the Buddha, he seemed unable to achieve true peace, even in the beautiful tranquil surroundings of Mount Nagata. He was unable to relate to other humans and sought solace in poetry, art, 'the prayers' of the river and the beauty of his rural home. At age 42, he has spent almost all of his life in or near the temple, and expects to spend the remainder of it there when a very unwelcome appointment to America is offered to him. Seido accepts with a heavy heart, but only on the agreement that it must be temporary.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846883105</amazonuk>
}}
 
{{newreview
|author=Jon Katz
|summary=What if the planet you called home wasn’t just a random blob in the universe, orbiting a far off star. What if the things that happened on it weren’t entirely down to chance or fate or whatever you want to call it. What if, actually, life on Earth was less random and more, well, scheduled than you might like to admit. Someone up there, calling the shots, deciding when to send in ‘natural’ disasters, influencing how things work, people behave, countries are run. Not a God, mind, but something far crazier: a television executive. Earth is the reality show to end all reality shows, and while its inhabitants have no clue every second of their lives is being watched and edited, that doesn’t stop them behaving in a way that keeps the viewers highly entertained.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781855803</amazonuk>
}}
 
{{newreview
|title=Emily Climbs: A Virago Modern Classic (Emily Trilogy)
|author=L M Montgomery
|rating=5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=I had been a little unsettled during my re-reading of [[Emily of New Moon: A Virago Modern Classic (Emily Trilogy) by L M Montgomery|Emily of New Moon]] since I found as I read that I didn't particularly like Emily. Was I too grown up now to love Emily as I had when I was younger? But coming back to ''Emily Climbs'' was like sitting down with an old, favourite friend and having a lovely catch-up. I much prefer Emily in this book. She starts to grow up a little, developing her sense of humour, learning more about herself and her writing. Emily is sent away to high school in the local large town of Shrewsbury. Unfortunately, whilst she is there, she must board with her Aunt Ruth who (much to my dismay since we share a first name) is a dreadful person to live with! She is also cornered into promising that whilst she's away at school she will write no more stories. Her Aunt Elizabeth has never been happy about her story writing, fearing it is dangerously close to writing novels - a terrible thing, in her eyes! Emily has no choice but to make the promise, but she finds it very difficult. Still, she is allowed to continue writing her diaries, and she can write as much poetry as she likes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1844089894</amazonuk>
}}