Throne of the Crescent Moon ... a gorgeous fantasy book

I get so tired of fantasy books that cover the same old/same old ground. Yes, I read the Celtic tales as a kid and Norse mythology as well. But where are the fantasies set in Asia? In Africa? In Latin America? In the Middle East?
Throne of the Crescent Moon has just popped up on my radar and it's fantastic. And clearly, I'm late to the party because when it was published, nearly five years ago, it was a finalist for practically ever fantasy award out there and won the Locus Award for "best first novel." Writer Saladin Ahmed (born and raised in Michigan) also writes short stories and non-fiction. This is book one in a series. I can't wait for the next chapter!

Just read the book's description. You'll be salivating too.

A finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Crawford, Gemmell, and British Fantasy Awards, and the winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon is a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.

Mother's Day Reading: "Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu

Mother's Day is coming and I have been reading stories about mothers for the 365 Short Story Challenge I've been involved in. I ran across this story by Ken Liu, which is in the archives of Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine. (You can read it online here.)
"Paper Menagerie" is a beautiful story, nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula Award and I don't know what won instead but this is a story that will haunt you. Check it out and then go to Liu's site to read his other stories, which have similarly been picked out for honors. He's a tremendously good writer.