I just picked up the last posting dates leaflet at the post office which led me to think you might want to get ordering our lovely books as christmas presents (or Solstice presents if you are quick!) Books make great presents – easy to wrap, light to post (mostly!) and infinite variety, so you can find just the right thing, even for those difficult to buy for folk. Visit our shop or read on for a bit of inspiration.

The just pre-teen niece or nephew – How about our Carnegie Medal nominated fantasy novel, Devilskein & Dearlove, by Alex Smith? Talking Crickets, Demons, and Doorways to Other Worlds are all up for grabs in a Cape Town apartment, but can Erin open the door to her past?

The pagan or atheist. A tough one, should you get anything? if you do, do you put Happy Christmas on it? Give them one of our Solstice Shorts anthologies, celebrating the winter solstice with a wide variety of stories (and poems) you can choose from Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time, or Shortest Day, Longest Night our new anthology of stories and poems about midwinter, long nights and short days. Or Both! Special offer up til 21st December (the Solstice) buy Shortest Day, Longest Night and get Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time half price.

The politically minded? What about Liberty Tales, Stories and Poems inspired by Magna Carta? Everything from the right to vote to fish weirs.

The Secret Santa recipient:

Drawn someone you know nothing about from the office christmas hat?

Don’t panic! Anthologies have something for everyone.

One of our Liars’ League collaborations should go down well with almost anyone. Choose from London Lies (London!), Lovers’ Lies (Relationships!) or Weird Lies (Sci Fi/Fantasy). You can get all three for a special reduced price

Or, if all you know about them is that they get to work by train, how about Stations?
A rich collection of stories inspired by journeys, places and lives lived beside the lines.

Your Best LGBT friend.

Now this one is a must. Everyone should have a copy.  Outcome: LGBT Portraits by Tom Dingley. If you haven’t got it already, get it NOW. Photographic portraits of LGBT people holding a photo of themselves as a child. Brief biographies for most, although not all. Moving and inspiring.

The Poetry enthusiast.

Pick from our long narrative poems anthology, The Other Side of Sleep, or our collection by Kate Foley, The Don’t Touch Garden.

The fantasy enthusiast Want a doorstop of a book to keep that voracious fantasy reader happy? How about The Dowry Blade by Cherry Potts? War, famine, grief, a sword that might not be magic after all, and a witch who can sing you to death…

The Writer… Oh, so tricky. They’ve either got it already or don’t think it cuts the mustard. Buying for writers is really hard!

Here’s an idea – you’ll have to give it to them early, but why not buy them a ticket to our Write through the Night event? 21st December 10-midnight.

Still nothing you are sure they’ll love, but know your friend or relation loves books? What about an Arachne FRIENDship? Choose from annual, life, and patron, and get a variety of special offers plus the coveted Arachne friend badge, and support us at the same time!

SO: If you’d like us to send to your gift direct to the recipient, we send world-wide, and mostly books go at the standard deliveries so you have a bit of leeway – but you are too late for World Zone 2 to go affordably now. For most of Europe your deadline is 13th Dec, Northern America 14th Dec, Spain France & Ireland 16th December; and of course, within the UK, 19th December. ( this gives us 24 hours to parcel up and send). The sooner the better, obviously. The Arachne Friend and the Write through the Night Ticket are delivered electronically (apart from the friend Badge, obviously)