Stories that are magical, charming, whimsical, atmospheric...

( 5 recs in Grand Budapest Hotel, The Listeners, M*A*S*H, Princess Bride, Twelve Kingdoms )

Little slices of lost canon, for when one's in the mood for more of, rather than more from, the source...

( 5 recs in Discworld, History Boys, Das Leben der Anderen, Much Ado About Nothing, Study in Emerald )

Female friendships, family bonds, women growing & redefining themselves, women being awesome in all the ways available to them...

**Top ten selections

( 5 recs in Diana Wynne Jones, Earthsea, Goblin Market, Mary Renault, Singin' in the Rain )

Finally got my Yuletide 2013 recommendations assembled! There are rather fewer than past years, with a few staples missing, but I'm still going to go for themed sets. First up: different worlds, richly created, with the original & minor characters who inhabit them...

**Top ten selections

( 5 recs in Dalemark Quartet, Earthsea, paintings, Galaxy Quest, Hainish Cycle )

For my final set, a batch of magical stories, that incorporate magical elements and are also absolutely charming! Several of my favourites here.

( 6 recs in Chinese mythology, Discworld, Graveyard Book, How to Train Your Dragon, Smith of Wootton Major, Spirited Away, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio )

I was hoping to post my final two recs sets before nominations opened but they beat me to it! Here are stories where the background is richly developed, stories firmly set in their place and time, whether that's fantastical or historical...

( 7 recs in Earthsea, Fairy tales, Midsummer Night's Dream, Sunset Boulevard, The Tempest, War for the Oaks )

Stories that you could swear were canon, except for the bit that isn't... whether that's genderbending, filling in the missing erotica, or textualising all that homoerotic subtext. For those who don't want to choose between more of & more from canon.

( 6 recs in Discworld, Georgette Heyer, Isaac Asimov, Jane Eyre, Love Actually, Rosemary Sutcliff )

It's always a treat to see stories about very minor characters, particularly those who don't often star in fanfiction, and there are several examples here. Also well-crafted original characters who fit so well into the source that you'd think they'd been born there.

( 7 recs in DS9, Historical RPF, Neverwhere, Reservoir Dogs, Romeo and Juliet, Spirited Away, Twin Peaks )

My favourite reading includes strong female characters, but I don't believe women (or men) need to be warriors to be strong. So these women are empowered in their own ways -- as lovers, mothers, friends; working within the system or against it...

( 7 recs in The City & the City, Discworld, Dogma, Finnish mythology, Hainish Cycle, Norse mythology, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy )

Families of all flavours, both blood & chosen, legitimate & illegitimate. Here are fathers & mothers, brothers & sisters, and all types of family relationship -- occasionally destructive, sometimes infuriating, but often supportive.

( 6 recs in Abraham's Daughter, Bible, Chrestomanci, Earthsea, Into the Woods, The Incredibles, Twelfth Night )