The Faery Reel – ed. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

This short story collection is meant to draw from fairy traditions around the world, and is therefore surprisingly grounded in real life, with interesting twists. And it is global, with stories from Australian, Native American and Asian traditions, as well as the European traditions you’d expect when the word “fairy” is used.

I think my favorite story was “The Annals of Eelin-Ok”, the story of a particular kind of fae that inhibits abandoned sand castles on the beach. It’s a surprisingly moving tale for something that should seem so ephemeral.