I finished reading "Into the Woods", which is a short story collection by Kim Harrison, half of which are stories set in her "Hollows" world and half that aren't.

I'm still quite surprised in some ways how much I enjoy her Hollows books.  On the surface, there is nothing in them that I should like at all.  I'm not a fan of supernatural, especially ones that feature vampires.  So what is it about this combination a Witch, a Vampire and a Pixie that really works?  Partly, I guess, is that the world is really well developed.  The rules are laid out and followed, which I appreciate.  Then, there are the characters.  These are unique individuals who are well conceived and written.  Their interactions are interesting because their personalities both mix and clash in believable ways.

As for this book, most of the Hollows stories were previously released (although I only had seen one or two of them) and one new.  They are an interesting chance to see many of the main characters in close-up and in ways you don't get in the books.  Especially Jenks, who is strongly featured in two of the stories.

The non-Hollows stories are a mixed bag of modern supernatural fantasy.  I really liked the story "Grace," which takes place in a world where some people have the ability to affect and project electrical energy.  This ability is HIGHLY regulated, to the extent that anyone who can do so either has to join the government division that polices such people, or else have the ability surgically removed.  A couple other stories deal with dryads interacting with the modern world in different ways.  The remaining one is harder to describe, so I won't bother.

If you like Kim Harrison's books, definitely a must.  If you haven't read her books, pick up "Dead Witch Walking" and go from there.  This will be waiting for when you're ready.