Linked in

1. Shameless self-promotion from Mark Broatch – he has a new book out and he wants to tell you about it. It’s called In A Word and it’s really rather good.

2. At a guess, I’d say that this means Rodney Hide is getting his oats.

3. PopBitch has a list – with scary, scary pictures – of the world’s ugliest animals, right at the other end of the scale from Charismatic Mega-Fauna such as pandas, tigers and whales. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the somewhat less charismatic Mary River Turtle, the Helmeted Hornbill, the Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard, the Coconut Crab and the Aye-aye. I’ve seen coconut crabs but sadly never eaten one – they may be ugly but I bet they taste good.

4. Joe Hildebrand celebrates the life and work of Patrick Swayze, with special reference to 1991’s Point Break:

Seeking the ultimate acting challenge, Swayze pitted himself against the virtuoso talents of Keanu Reeves and there are few critics who would not say that the two were evenly matched.

5. The Weird Book Room at Abe Books offers such titles as A Stress Analysis of a Strapless Evening Gown, The Social History of the Machine Gun, How Green were the Nazis?, The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories, Bombproof Your Horse and The Haunted Vagina.