Trip To Sri Lanka + Spectre Released In Oz

"Spectre" was released in Australia on November 12.  The film opened in the UK on October 26 so I'm not really clear why it was released so late here in Oz but it was.

My wife and I were in Sri Lanka on November 12 (last Thursday) for a wedding and returned on Sunday.  Thus I only managed to see "Spectre" for the first time on Tuesday night with some mates.  I snapped these four photos during the screening before settling down to watch it.

In Sri Lanka the film was released on November 6.  Here's some photos of it being promoted outside a cinema in Colombo.

 

While in Colombo we visited one book store near the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.  This is the shop front but I wasn't able to grab a photo inside.  They were selling a complete set of what I call the Vintage 007 series as well as paperback copies of Anthony Horowitz's "Trigger Mortis".

We did see several small second hand book stalls while being driven around Colombo but our visit coincided with a public holiday on one day, then we did a day visit to Galle, and then the next day in Colombo was a national day of mourning (after the death of Buddhist leader Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha) so they weren't open while we were there.

In Galle we found this bookshop. It was opposite where our driver had parked and the roads are crazy in Sri Lanka so we almost literally risked our lives crossing the traffic to take these photos.  Unfortunately they had no Bonds in either English or Sinhalese so our deaths would have been in vain.

 

In Kandy there were two book stores next to each other in a shopping centre. They both had paper back copies of "Trigger Mortis" but no other Bonds.

Whenever we visit a hotel I always like to check out the library if there is one.  This is a photo of our hotel library in Negombo but alas no Bonds.

And finally, here's some non-Bond related photos of the Maldives...

... and Sri Lanka: 

A Hindu temple in Colombo

 

A section of the road near Kandy with less traffic than usual

Roadside views while driving from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy

Typical occurrence on the roads in Sri Lanka.  It may look like the car on the far right was parked but it was moving... just not fast enough for the bus driver.  We had to slow and pull over a little further to the left to let the bus go past but that's just what all the drivers do in Lanka

Temple Of The Tooth, Kandy

Last Blog Entry From The Maldives

As usual when overseas here's a photo from the business centre of our hotel.  That's another visitor to the website today !

I've checked and there's no Bonds in the hotel library...

Greetings From The Maldives

My wife and I are currently spending three nights in the Maldives before flying to Sri Lanka to attend my manager's wedding.  Unfortunately her wedding is on November 12, the same day as "Spectre" is released in Australia, so I won't be attending any premiere screenings in Oz for this Bond film, but it's not everyday you've got a reason to fly to Lanka.

Anyhow, with the free-wifi ending soon I'll try and rush a quick blog.  Here's some photos from Melbourne and Singapore airports of promotional stuff for the new film.

Melbourne Tullamarine Airport

Singapore Changi Airport.  I also managed to score a "Spectre" magazine from the Omega shop.  Hopefully it makes it home without too many creases.

Mountains Of Books Bookfair 2015

Today was the first day of the annual Mountains Of Books Bookfair in Ferny Creek in the Dandenongs.  The book fair also continues tomorrow.

Last year I picked up some great books so I was pretty optimistic on my return.  My parents, my wife and I arrived just after 10am and to our amazement the carpark was almost full.  

Inside the hall there appeared to be more book stalls than last year and plenty of other bibliophiles.  There were also heaps of good quality books.

We scoured each stall and managed to find a number of Bond books including the ones below (yes, this is a whole box of Bonds!).

 

And these books at another stall... 

So after we had spent about an hour at the fair I purchased these three hardbacks.  I didn't previously own a copy of "The Man Who Saved Britain", however the other two are doubles.  The book club edition on the right is nicer than my existing copy while "The Spy Who Loved Me" is an ex-library 5th or 6th printing that has a really nice dust jacket.  All three were too good (and cheap) to refuse.

So if you've got a spare couple of hours tomorrow why not visit the Mountains Of Books Bookfair in Ferny Creek.  As you can see there's still plenty of Bond books available as well as hundreds of other fiction and non-fiction books ranging from Australiana to steam trains to children's books and everything in-between.

Trigger Mortis Goldsboro Edition

I received a hardback copy of "Trigger Mortis" in the mail yesterday.  This is the Goldsboro edition limited to just 1,000 copies and signed by the author, Anthony Horowitz.

It's a really nice first edition and also includes silver edges to the pages and a thin red ribbon that can be used as a book mark.  A nice addition to my library.

Also, following the premiere of "Spectre" in London a few days ago this quiz has appeared online.  A work colleague pointed it out to me today and other Bond fans may also find it interesting: How well do you know James Bond movies?  A bit of fun, although I'm being picky by saying that one question is technically wrong, especially as the film in particular is previously mentioned. 

Trigger Mortis Arrives In The Mail

The latest James Bond novel "Trigger Mortis" by Anthony Horowitz was released on September 7, 2015.  Since its release the reviews I've read for the novel have almost all been unanimously positive.  However I haven't had a copy of the novel to scan to add to the PizGloria.com website.  That all changed last week when I received this complimentary trade paperback in the mail from the kind people at Hachette Australia.  

As far as I'm aware there are no obvious differences from the UK Orion printing apart from the fact this copy was "printed and bound in Australia".  So if you're interested in purchasing an Australian edition of this novel click here, although you may have to check with Booktopia to ensure it's the Australian copy you're going to receive (just in case !). 

And if you don't own a copy of this book yet, maybe you should.

 

End Of Our Weekend Away

As the saying goes all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately our long weekend away in Metung concluded yesterday.  But my wife and I certainly enjoyed our break.

On our journey home we kept our eyes open for book stores and in Stratford we found Sugar Books.

This store sells lollies, gifts, new and "pre-loved" books... and icecreams.  The owner, Cassie, explained the store was inspired by a life-long love of Roald Dahl.  The store has only been open for a short time and is the perfect stop when driving to or from a holiday destination in Gippsland.  Many kids books adorn the shelves as well as popular fiction for teens and adults; prime reading while relaxing. There were no Bonds on the shelves this visit however Cassie said she'd keep her eyes open for them.

As I was leaving Cassie mentioned I should visit Pingvin Booksellers in Maffra.  They have a wide selection of books and collectables.  We weren't able to visit this store on our remaining journey home however I hope to make that visit sometime soon.

AFL Grand Final Day - Book Hunt

Just a quick blog entry as the AFL Grand Final is starting in less than an hour.  My wife and I have just returned to our accomodation in Metung having spent the morning walking the shops in Lakes Entrance.

There's one second hand book store in Lakes and several op shops.  As kids we used to holiday there every Winter with our families, and Just Books existed back then so it's certainly been around for a while.  Selling both new and second hand books this is another one of those stores where there could be a gem on the shelf just waiting to be bought.  I remember purchasing a couple of Pan Still Life books from here.  Unfortunately today there were none.

And finally here's a couple more photos from Metung.  What a great place for a break.

Weekend Away

My wife and I are currently driving through Gippsland, Victoria on our way to Metung for a relaxing long weekend away.

So far on our journey from Melbourne we have managed to stop at two second hand book stores.

The first was The Red Book Shop.  This book store has existed for years in Traralgon however the cafe aspect has only been around for the last two and a half.  The shelves hold hundreds of books, all neatly organised and categorised, and all ready to peruse with coffee in hand.  Unfortunately there were no Bonds today but one of the owners explained they have a large shed storing many more books and it's possible there are some Flemings there.  I'll be back.

The second store was Bairnsdale Books... in Bairnsdale.

To be honest I was excited at the chance of visiting this store again.  I can't remember the title but I remember buying an unusual Bond paperback from this store eons ago.  It's always been one of those book stores where I feel anything could be sitting on the shelf waiting to be discovered.  Today they had a hardback Bond omnibus and a Triad-Panther "From Russia With Love".  No luck this time but who knows what will be on the shelves next time I visit ?!