2010 Reading #90: The Poison Eaters by Holly Black

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Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
81. The Dakota Indian Internment at Fort Snelling, 1862-1864 by Corinne L. Monjeau-Marz.
82. A Life on Paper: Selected Stories by Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud, translated by Edward Gauvin.
83. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.
84. Best American Fantasy, edited by Ann Vandermeer, Jeff Vandermeer, and Matthew Cheney.
85. It Walks in Beauty: Selected Prose of Chandler Davis, Edited and with an Introduction by Josh Lukin.
86. All Flesh Is Grass by Clifford D. Simak.
87. The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin.
88. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
89. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

90. The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black. I like Holly's novels, but after reading this I wonder if I might like her short stories even more. One of the stories here, "The Land of Heart's Desire," features characters from her Modern Faerie books; it's a strong entry, but my favorite story is "The Coat of Stars," about a grown-up costume designer's uncomfortable (at first) trip home, and the unfinished business he ends up taking care of there. The story's strength, and that of the best stories here, is in how the fantastic serves as an accompaniment to the emotional trials of the character, instead of drowning them out. A really solid and enjoyable collection.

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