Fiction - Kindle edition; Sandstone Press; 320 pages; 2012. Review copy courtesy of the publisher. Tomorrow, the shortlist for the 2013 Desmond Elliot Prize — an award for new writers — will be announced, so what better time to review Kevin Smith's Jammy Dodger, which is on the longlist? Black comedy Set in 198os Belfast, this debut novel is a darkly comic tale about an audacious literary hoax...

Well, I pretty much did it — and now I have the medal to prove it! I cycled 75 miles (out of a possible 100) on Saturday, camped overnight at Windsor Racecourse, then got up early and cycled 88 miles (out of a possible 88) on Sunday. That's a grand total of 163 miles (262km). I spent the grand total of 16 hours in the saddle — no wonder my rear end was sore! I can honestly say it was the hardest...

This weekend I'm sacrificing all my reading time by taking on a rather big challenge: I'm attempting to cycle 180 miles around London in a two-day event called MITIE London Revolution and will be covering it on my cycling blog, London Cycling Diary. Because I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in 2008, I have decided to raise funds for Arthritis Research UK by taking part in the event. I know...