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Gavin Knight, Jasper Fforde, Richard Sennett, Oliver Burkeman and Claudia Hammond will all be taking part in this year?s Edinburgh International Book Festival. Follow this link to find out when and where they will be taking to the stage.

With the 109 year wait for a British victory in the Tour De France finally over, and just two days to go until the start of the Olympic Games, Rob Penn?s latest article for the Independent proves, once again, that it really is ALL ABOUT THE BIKE.

Take a stroll up into the Radnorshire hills with Jasper Fforde and his dog Ozzy for a potted guide to local flora and fauna and an introduction to The Woman Who Died A Lot, the seventh book in the Thursday Next series.

Guardian columnist Oliver Burkeman discusses his latest book The Antidote in this video animation about happiness. During his research for the book Oliver spoke to people who believe that theories about positive thinking and visualising your goals may not be all they're cracked up to be. It seems there's a long tradition in philosophical and spiritual thought which embraces negativity and bathes in insecurity and failure. Watch the video below to find out more.

Every month, lovers of science are invited to join Tim Radford in reading and discussing a select title for the Guardian?s science book club series. In his most recent contribution Tim has reviewed Martin Ree?s JUST SIX NUMBERS: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe, and highly praises its ability to address ?the single most profound mystery of the universe ? how is it that we are here to ask these questions? ? in a neat series of brief chapters.' Tim's own book, The Address Book, has just been longisted for The Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Writing. The panel of judges will be announcing the winner at a ceremony at the Royal Society on 26th November. Click here to read the full write up, or here to find out more about the Winton Prize.

Several Janklow&Nesbit clients will be amongst the expert gathering this week at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival. Chosen to discuss, challenge and entertain under this year?s theme, RE:generation, will be Kevin Fong, Adam Rutherford and Matt Parker, with one-off presentations from Lewis Dartnell, Evan Davis, Alex Bellos and Lucie Green. For the full festival line up and information on how to book tickets please click here.

On Tuesday night Dr. Lucie Green joined Liz Bonnin and Dr. Helen Czerski to present a Horizon special about a rare and beautiful event in our solar system, one that we were all be able to see for ourselves just before midnight on the 5th of June, and won't happen again for more than a century - the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. Together they demonstrate how this remarkable event transforms our understanding of our own solar system as well as helping scientists hunt for alien life on distant planets, hundreds of light years away. Missed it? Follow this link to watch again.

Alex's Adventures in Numberland by Alex Bellos has won two Italian book prizes, the Premio Galileo for science writing and the Premio Peano for books on mathematics. The Premio Galileo is one of the most important Italian science book prizes, the winner being decided by a national vote of science students, while the Premio Peano is sponsored by the University of Turin. Alex's Adventures in Numberland was translated into Italian as Il Meraviglioso Mondo dei Numeri, and published in 2011.

Acclaimed writer and broadcaster Claudia Hammond?s new book, Time Warped, delves into the mysteries of time perception. Put your own time perception to the test by taking part in the six quick time games on Canongate?s Time Warped channel.

Described by the Telegraph as a ?tremendous book, written with unobtrusive intelligence, vividness and clarity?, Gavin Knight?s debut, Hood Rat, has been shortlisted for the 2012 Orwell Prize for political writing. The prize will be awarded to the work that comes closest to George Orwell?s own ambition ?to make political writing into an art', and will be announced on the 23rd May.

From Camille Pissarro?s, ?The Avenue?, a fresh and verdant view of a Victorian south London suburb, to Paolo Uccello?s violent depiction of virility and seasonal rebirth in ?The Battle of San Romano?, Jonathan Jones makes a daily selection of artwork that best celebrates the arrival of Spring in a new series for the Guardian. Click here to see his picks.

Why did most people think house prices would carry on rising for ever? Why are doctors and financial regulators particularly susceptible to massive errors of judgement? What do weather forecasters and expert gamblers have in common? Dylan Evans believes there is a special kind of intelligence for dealing with risk and uncertainty, which doesn?t correlate with IQ, and which has never been studied before now. Watch this fantastic short film to find out more.

Follow this link to watch David Tennant, the voice of Darwin in the much anticipated The Pirates! movie, talk about playing the part, working with Aardman and the perils of falling in love with Queen Victoria. The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists is out on the 29th March and has everybody tweeting #thepirates.

A superb article in the Observer this week from Rob Penn, written in defence of the countryside following a recent campaign to encourage retirees to head for the city. A wonderful celebration of rural Britain and just what we need as we eagerly await the arrival of Spring. Click here to read.