Sign in

Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com)

@specficreader.bsky.social
52 followers 97 following 379 posts

I am a reader of short fiction. Here is where I share my favorites of what I am reading, mostly in the speculative fiction genre.

PostsRepliesMedia
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Just updated my short fiction read table (myreadinglife.com/shortfiction...) and my Speculative Fiction Index (myreadinglife.com/speculative-...). Enjoy!
myreadinglife.com
Short Fiction
I have read reports that many people are finding they no longer have the attention span to read an entire novel, the most recent being this article in The Atlantic. No problem. Start with short fic…
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Short Fiction Read, March 14 - April 4 I have been reading so much short fiction and been so busy with officiating in soccer tournaments that I am going to try something a little different for these updates. It takes quite a bit of time to roll up... myreadinglife.com/2026/04/05/s...
myreadinglife.com
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
I just shared my favorite short fiction that I read this week. Check it out! myreadinglife.com/2026/01/31/f...
myreadinglife.com
Favorite Short Fiction of the Week
I read ten pieces of short fiction this week ranging from about 1,500 words to almost 25,000 words. To view the entire list of what I read, look at the top ten entries in the table at the bottom of…
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Also, the word keycard is used five times. But in one other place it is two words, key card.
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
@uncannymagazine.bsky.social I found an inconsistency in www.uncannymagazine.com/article/and-.... When she finds a keycard near the body, she drops it into her bag. Later she finds some pills and tucks them into her pocket alongside the keycard. But the keycard is in her bag.
uncannymagazine.com
And Then There Were (N-One) - Uncanny Magazine
I considered declining the invitation. It was too weird, too expensive, too far, too dangerous, too weird. Way too weird. An invitation like that would never come again. I’d regret it if I didn’t go. ...
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
I've once again updated my Speculative Fiction Index table. Check it out! myreadinglife.com/speculative-...
myreadinglife.com
Speculative Fiction Index
Below is a searchable index of all the short fiction published in the following online speculative fiction magazines. Each of the stories can be read for free by clicking on the link in the table. …
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
My 2026 Reading Goals Traditionally, I set a goal each January for how many books I want to read in the year. About halfway through 2025, I rededicated myself to reading more short fiction. Taking that into account, I have not set a goal for how many books... Originally posted at myreadinglife.com
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
And once a month I update my Speculative Fiction Index at myreadinglife.com/speculative-... Happy reading!
myreadinglife.com
Speculative Fiction Index
Below is a searchable index of all the short fiction published in the following online speculative fiction magazines. Each of the stories can be read for free by clicking on the link in the table. …
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
I am taking a break from my Daily Dose of #Empathy posts for the month of October. Too many projects around the house. In the meantime, you can see what I am reading on the table at the bottom of this page. myreadinglife.com/shortfiction
myreadinglife.com
My Reading Life
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." – George R. R. Martin
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
This one is dark and hits close to home. It shows the extremes of our internet, mobile phone culture and how unavoidable and futile it can feel. Read it. Length: 885 words (< 5 minutes) My rating: 4/5
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Without giving away too much, it describes a kind of hind and seek game that seems impossible to win and has existential consequences. And the second half describes a sequel that flips the script.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
here it is used to devastating effect in drawing the reader in and immersing them in the narrative. Second, this isn't really a story. It is more of a description of a video game told using a narrative style. Again, seems like it wouldn't work very well, but it does.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (buff.ly/NTwziIr) City of One by Stephen S. Power (buff.ly/IFl7BTA) The author has used a number of unique tools in this excellent story. First, the story is in the second person, so it is speaking directly to the reader. I often find this distracting, but ...
110
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Well done! Length: 5,017 words (about 20 minutes) My rating: 5/5
010
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
The world building here is detailed and deeply immersive without being expository, flowing organically as part of the storytelling. The best part of the story is exploring the idea I cannot reveal without spoiling the story. This is another piece of short fiction exploring ideas through story.
110
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
It's okay, though. She has a "closet" she can use. This is a technology that allows for a sort of full body mask that subsumes her consciousness during the experience. But the technology seems to be on the fritz and something unexpected happens.
110
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (buff.ly/HR7edpj) The Girlfriend Experience by @cztacks.bsky.social (buff.ly/0AITHay) In a bleak, near future dystopia devastated by climate change, a sex worker is forced by her economic circumstances to entertain a client whose proclivity involves choking her.
111
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Despite its brevity, it does evoke a feeling for what it is like to move from feeling estranged in a new place to loving it despite, or even because of, all its apparent shortcomings. Length: 982 words (about 5 minutes) My rating: 3/5
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (buff.ly/YDS3FyM) The Place I Came To by @filiphdz.bsky.social (buff.ly/CZnxDUy) This is a short, simple story of how the narrator moved to a new city that he at first didn't really like but eventually came to appreciate and love.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
A rather helpful message in our moment. Length: 1,792 words (about 10 minutes) My rating: 3/5
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
It shows the community that exists on board, highlighting how each member turns to care when they realize their end is near. The crew also appear to be non-human with a variety of body forms and types. All in, this is an uplifting story of community, care, and strength in the midst of bleakness.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
It expands, engulfing everything in its path. It is moving too fast to avoid. The crew is in its path. We follow the crew as they prepare for their inevitable end. Despite the grim and predetermined outcome of this story, it does have some bright spots.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Most of these involve some sort of "happy" ending where humans are triumphant in some way. This story is instead much more bleak. The crew of the Awassa are all doomed to die, consumed by a giant space creature that was thought to be a planet. Probing it has awoken it and made it angry.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (myreadinglife.com/2025/09/24/l...) Last Meal Aboard the Awassa by @kcolemanwrites.bsky.social (www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/last...) Many science fiction adventure stories involve alien encounters, learning from them or fighting against them.
110
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
My pleasure. Thanks for writing it and sharing!
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
I wish there had been more of that. I was left wanting to experience and learn more about the world built here. Length: 2,610 words (about 15 minutes) My rating: 4/5
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
I found this story a fascinating exploration of what life might be left and evolve after humans have left behind a ruined world. The drones are still guided by their programming and the biomechanical animals are intriguing. The author leaves out exactly how they came about.
110
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
This story (whose world reminded me a bit of the 2008 movie WALL·E) centers on one of the drones who is doing a routine inspection of the launch complex nearby. An acid rain storm approaches and the plot involves her encounter with the "animals" in her attempt to avoid the killing rain.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (buff.ly/HPokloM) A World of Their Own by @robertfalco.bsky.social (buff.ly/QgKT9cy) The Earth is devoid of humans who have all left the world they destroyed to find a new place to live. Left behind are two unique forms life—sentient drones and biomechanical animals.
211
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Alice struggles with leaving her family behind, exploring the difficulty of relationships in a hospice situation. At the same time it tackles the experience of discovering new things about yourself. Another fantastic story that I highly recommend. Length: 4,110 words (about 20 min.) My rating: 5/5
010
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
The call backs to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland are obvious in this penultimate story of the September issue of @clarkesworldmagazine.com. The storytelling is superb—touching, poignant, and heartfelt.
110
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
The challenge is that the mind must accept the VR as reality. But Alice struggles to do this each time she visits by noticing the impossible things in the virtual world. With time running out, she must overcome this mental obstacle or face imminent death.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (buff.ly/FDRZj4K) Five Impossible Things by @kojiadae.bsky.social (buff.ly/drZkOf0) Alice lies dying in a hospice bed while her mind attempts to gain citizenship in Vtora Sviat, a virtual reality realm designed as an alternative to dying.
131
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
This is an engaging, easy read. It is a short story thriller that starts with a questionable ethical decision, exploring the dilemma that sentient AI might present. I enjoyed this story and expect we will start to see more and more like it. Length: 5,290 words (about 25 minutes) My rating: 4/5
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
It then alternates location between Malaysia and London where mystererious "glowmen" start to show up, terrorizing the public. As the story unfolds, one starts to wonder if the AI is really shut down.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (myreadinglife.com/2025/09/21/t...) The Fury of the Glowmen by David McGillveray (clarkesworldmagazine.com/mcgillveray_...) This story opens in Malaysia as the current prime minister is urgently shutting down an artificial intelligence that has become sentient.
110
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
In the second half, the story finally kicks into gear and I found myself enjoying it much more with a resolution that left me with a feeling of peaceful satisfaction. Length: 8,890 words (about 35 minutes) My rating: 3/5
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
But he slowly learns to overcome these obstacles to his success. I found visualizing the plot a bit difficult. The author uses a lot of words I was unfamiliar with, which also repeatedly pulled me out of the story.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
The narrator is an architect, the first sent on this project and working alone until others arrive. Someone appears to keep trying to prevent him from doing his work, but it is unclear why. He is challenged by being alone in his work as well as being socially awkward.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (buff.ly/MaTqjkP) Aperture by @ajablokov.bsky.social (buff.ly/ZaGmaRw) On an asteroid that the narrator is working to help bring back to life as a habitat, this is tale of community, found family, and awkwardness in socializing.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Length: 12,590 words (about 50 minutes) My rating: 4/5
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
The writing here is close to the action and can be somewhat unclear at first. This closeness, though, really engages the reader with vivid imagery and metaphor that are almost poetic. The characters are highly relatable in their experience. This is a wonderful tale of resisting oppression
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
They have a short life at the end of which they are chopped up and put back into the machine that will birth a new automaton from the recycled material. The tale grows in suspense until just near the end with a very satisfying reveal.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
But exactly who (or even what) you are is unclear for most of the story. This is by design. The story you are told is one of enslavement of sentient automatons made of paper.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (myreadinglife.com/2025/09/19/f...) Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins by @louisinglishall.bsky.social (clarkesworldmagazine.com/hall_09_25) The format here is of a narrator telling you a story. So, you are the one being asked to kill four people.
121
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
But if there is a quick and easy way out of grief, what is its cost? Will it be worth it? This amazing story explores these deep and important questions. Length: 7,210 words (about 30 minutes) My rating: 5/5
000
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
The author really explores what grief feels like and the longing to move past it that often accompanies it.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
What happens next is the crux of this emotionally intelligent story. Wow! This one hits on all sorts of levels. The storytelling is immersive. The characters are real as is the pain they feel no matter how they express it.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
When she asks her father, holed up in his office, he declines but says she can go herself. She does, disappointed and angry. There she connects with a sentient robot who tells her that he can take away the pain of her grief. Calista is immediately interested.
100
Howard Cornett (https://myreadinglife.com) @specficreader.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Your Daily Dose of #Empathy (myreadinglife.com/2025/09/18/w...) Wireworks by @sherisingerling.bsky.social (clarkesworldmagazine.com/singerling_0...) Calista is a young girl who has lost her mother. When she sees a sign for the Cyber Circus, she longs to go as she once did with her mother.
100