If someone makes a film out of the epic history of the Hollywood plot-creation manual, it should be called Plotto vs the Plot Robot.

• A notably debilitating case of give-it-a-happy-ending syndrome, from the world of science fiction.

• Many of the items highlighted at Awful Library Books seem to me to have passed through "awful" and out into "fascinating". But then my childhood library-browsing always used to start with the "discarded books for sale" shelf.

• The art of the bad author photo (with thanks to John Dugdale, byline photo expert).

• Languagehat on socialism and cover-up in the history of the OED.

• A weakness is identified in some gorgeous-looking Penguin reissues.

• Library toilet graffiti (safe for work, remarkably).

• Maud Newton on CS Lewis's love of allegory.