Christmas Reading Room December 3

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

Title: Bears a Berry
Author: Lysimache.
Link to story: Discovered whilst a-carolling
Pairing: B/D
Further story information found at prosficspoilers

My first choice was recced yesterday, so I get to pick again! *vbg* And it wasn’t hard.

is a sentimental favourite from my first Advent here, and a suitable celebration of Mid-Winter.

The mundane (and humorous):

Doyle's desk too was covered in paperwork, no unusual sight these days, although his clearance rate was still faster than Bodie's, no matter how he tried to keep up with the little swot. … Still, that meant that what was left undone on Bodie's desk could often safely migrate to Doyle's before finding its eternal home somewhere in Records.

is contrasted with the images of fantasy:

Cold. The woods are cold, even for those born in them. Frost beckons in spots. The ground glistens in the dawn sun as though some princeling has scattered over it millions of tiny jewels.

Comments

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeay, just long enough for a mid-morning break! I like this fic too - a bit Americanised in places, but there's enough magical moments to beat that down, and I love the cosy together feel of it... Nice choice! *g*

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

Just as long as it needs to be, I reckon.

a bit Americanised in places not so much as I remembered in fact. only the yule log for burning not just for eating. BUT in the comments from when this fic was posted, myrebelcat remarked I'm not sure I'll ever look at holly wrapped around oak in quite the same way again, which made me ponder that the oak log was in fact relevant and not just there for decoration.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

rumor
packages to be trimmed
fir-trimmed Yule Log (the trimmed bit, not the Yule Log bit)

I think it's cos it starts out with three all in a row, cos I'm not even sure there are any more - we're swept away after that... *g*

I wasn't thinking of the Yule Log for burning as more American than Brit - I've heard people over here talking about it, and my mum (Brit) always did... But I suspect it's taken as a widespread tradition more by American writers, cos the lads seem to always have one, and I can't much imagine that they would, for various social etc reasons... *g*

I thought the Oak King and the Holly King was relevant - because it was taken from a "modern myth", as Lysimache says in her notes (Robert Graves, I presume) and that was the whole point of the story? So if Bodie's the holly, and Doyle's the oak, then holly wrapped around an oak in the woods is an even lovelier thought... *vbg*

ETA - actually I think it was probably because I didn't remember any Americanisms last time I read it that they jumped at me this time! *g*

[lysimache.livejournal.com]

Awww, thank you for the rec! :)

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

My pleasure. How could I resist a historical AU in a canon lads' Christmas wrapping?

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, this is a nice one! The images, particularly in the woods, are so vivid, and the older lads delightful. Thank you for the reminder about this one!

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it too.

I'm wondering how 'older' the lads are. No that their exact age matters, but they've slowed down a bit, and with all that paperwork, maybe they aren't even in the field anymore? In Bodie's dream, his hair is 'dark as stone', maybe there is an element of nostalgia for when they were in their prime and full of that vigour.

[roven75.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec, that was an interesting and different story that put some very nice images in my head.
I think though I have to do some research on the myths and traditions behind it, because when I read your comments above about yule logs etc. etc. all that appears is a big question mark above my head *g*

[cornishcat.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, not read this one before ... probably because I assumed it was a bear story, of the fluffy kind!

So thanks for the reccie because I did enjoy it ... great imagery, both on the settee and in the forest.

Oh, and I thought a Yule Log was made of chocolate!! *g*

[starlite876.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reccing this story... I loved the imagery presented within the story.

I have not read this before. I've been reading the stories at the discoveredinalj in time sequence so at the moment I'm only up to the stories in the Winter 2006 (the 'Discovered in the Mistletoe' challenge)!

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

A story completely new to me -- some really lovely bits. Thanks so much for the rec!

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

I'm very Brit and yule logs are definitely something to be burned at Christmas and only effete southerners would dream of thinking they might be chocolate. In factr, effete modern southerners. Love the myth references and the location! Thanks for the rec - I didn't know the story before and I enjoyed it.