It’s the end of the year! And you are probably just desperate for a few reading recommendations to see you through the holidays… here’s the Arcadia Gift Guide (for yourself and others)!

• If you want to live, laugh and love (but in an affirming, bookish way): Helene Hanff’s 84 Charing Cross Road. The less you know about it going in the better. It’ll take you 20 minutes to read; you’ll laugh; you’ll cry; you’ll instantly read the follow-up, The Duchess Of Bloomsbury Street, and do it all again. ALL THE FEELS. Treat yourself with this gorgeous book.
• Wait, that’s not SFF. True! But you should read it anyway. Right, on to the SFF recommendations:
• If you want to catch up on a classic: ever read any Ray Bradbury? Treat yourself to a collection of his short stories. They will stick in your brainpan forever, he’s that good.
• But what about a modern classic: This Is How You Lose The Time War is the modern SF classic. Read it, reread it, give it to a friend. It’ll blow your mind, break your heart, and make you wish it was a hundred pages longer.
• No, what you really want is something steamy, with a fantasy setting: Kiss Of The Basilisk or The Never List will sort you right out!
• No, not steamy; you want cosy: John Wiswell’s Wearing The Lion – found family, hugs with lions, and all the feels.
• Yes, but what about cosy and steamy? Oh, we’ve got you covered: Roll For Romance is both a contemporary romance and a fantasy novel, all set around a D&D table.
• Wait, let’s get back to science fiction: Esperance by Adam Oyebanji is a banger of a thriller, with a mystery and interstellar travel and a load of big ideas to get you thinking!
• Ooh, big ideas? Got any more of those? Try When There Are Wolves Again by EJ Swift; it will also break your heart, but it ends on a lovely hopeful note… this is especially good for the Jeff Vandermeer fans amongst you!
• No, no, you actually want horror! Cosy horror? Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell (it’s like John Carpenter took a stab at retelling Beauty & The Beast). Body horror? The Queen, by Nick Cutter (If you know anything about Nick’s books, you’ll know he likes bugs). You want to read a book that features Satan himself? The Devil’s Playbook, by Markus Heitz (sort of like Ian Flemming meets Quentin Tarantino). Witchy horror? Try The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia!
• Okay, but what you really want to do is finish up your own manuscript! Stephen King’s On Writing is still the best book about writing out there. Good luck!

Happy reading!

Anne Perry

Publishing Director, Arcadia Books