Anisha's short and long SFF travels > Likes and Comments

I just joined and this seems like the space where I can share the variety of forms that I enjoy reading. I've got collections of short stories, but I also like reading screenplays and listening to audio dramas as well as watching SFF movies and boxsets.


2025 SFF reads so far total 5, I was aiming for 8 this year.

So far I have read:

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking, fantastic read though I didn't follow it all, this one was to help me to get ready to read A Briefer History of Time next year.

I read the shooting script of Barbie: The Screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, a fun read and fun to watch but didn't buy into its pitch of gender equality.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, a brilliant read, read it twice but before my second read I updated my kindle book to find it had changed the contents. I did not expect a complete change but I have Bradbury's short stories which includes the story that has been removed, so it was fine.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare, I read this a few times before I could follow it, and I like how the comical moments break up the drama.

A Dream Play by Johan August Strindberg, translated by Edwin Bjorkman, some of it by-passed me but enjoyed it's fantastical, surreal elements.

current read:

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, translated by Martin Palmer. I'm really enjoying this, I think this counts as it as has magic and supernatural elements. I'm over half-way through this.


After I finish this that leaves me with 2 to complete my 2025 SFF goal.

This was lucky, another group is doing an Edgar Allen Poe reads, I know some of his works are Sci-Fi, I'll see if I can read thenm as well.

Oh, and thinking on The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I don't think it counts, the magic and supernatural is part of the culture.

correction: that's 3 reads left to reach this goal and not 2.

current read: Fantasy No Friend To This House - retelling of Medea by Natalie Haynes.

finished read No Friend To This House, I enjoyed and was going to post my link to reveiw but it just went beserk - a box in pink appeared --- loads of html - I am guessing it didn't like a link - that's a goodreads link, anyway have removed to try again, hoping this will let me post this message.

nope, didn't work, refreshed page and trying again

yeyyy, it worked 🙄

No Friend to This House: A Novel I liked most of this, borrowed from library but parts still resonate and so I have my own copy now.

Thinking about next year -- this year, not very organised, so for next year going to do better and my target is to read 15+ SFF.

I read a variety of things so but want to read more SFF.

I still consider myself new to this so I will probably start with the earlier stories and the see how it goes from there.

Sounds great Alisha!

Sorry, autocorrect, Anisha!

DivaDiane wrote: "Sounds great Anisha!"

no probs, and thanks, I'm still getting famiar with the group and found a Short Fiction Challenge here that made me laugh with 7 dwarfs.

I'm going to try that one next year and see how far I get with reading short works.

I did that challenge a few years ago. I really like short fiction but I find if I read them too quickly I forget them. Spaced out with time to digest and ruminate is the best way for me. I brought scans of the next few stories in the collection I Sing the Body Electric! By Ray Bradbury with me in vacation to the in-laws this Christmas. What will you be reading?.

DivaDiane wrote: "I did that challenge a few years ago. I really like short fiction but I find if I read them too quickly I forget them. Spaced out with time to digest and ruminate is the best way for me. I brought ..."

how did the challeneg go for you?

I'm trying out more shorts to balance my long reads. It's easy to fade out, when this happens to me I read it again.

This is what I've lined up

Brave New World
Cosmicomics
The Stepford Wives
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
Bram Stoker's Dracula: The Film and the Legend
The White Road and Other Stories
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams
4 stories from The Big Book of Cyberpunk Vol. I
Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Welcome to the Monkey House
2BRO2B

that's 12 of any length, If I manage all this, that's Bashful.

first one that I'm reading for 2026 is Brave New World

I'm also going for

target: 20

shelf: Anisha's SFF Bites

1. Appetizer ✔️ The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas 13th Jan 2026
2. Snack Food ✔️ Making Space 21st Jan 2026
3. Kids Menu
4. Latin Flare
5. Asian Menu
6. European Fare
7. Lean Cuisine
8. Bad Apple
9. In a Pickle ✔️ Brave New World 23rd Jan 2026
10. Recipe for Disaster
11. Food for Thought
12. Piece of Cake
13. “Dammit Doughnut”
14. Vegan
15. Spicy
16. Homemade
17. Comfort Food
18. Popcorn
19. Takeout
20. Dessert

Currently reading: Brave New World

Finished reading a short story, speculative fiction The Visit by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Short Fiction Challenge: 1 read

Finished reading:

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

Short Fiction Challenge: 2 read
2026 TBR Cleanup Challenge: You Are What You Read - Appetiser, will update soonish

Challenge update

completed:


2026 TBR Cleanup Challenge: You Are What You Read
Appetiser The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
snack food Making Space

Making Space described as speculative fiction, and an ok read, and enjoyed The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas more.

Both books included in this year's

Short Fiction Challenge: 3 read incl
The Visit

You’re doing well!

I never did very well on the short fiction challenge. My issue with reading short story collections is that I read a story and then tend to forget about the collection because it lacks the compulsion to continue. The story ended. It must be finished! Stupid brain! I am a member of a group here “The Short Story Club” which reads a story a week. Sometimes I manage to read those.

I did read 2 more Bradbury stories over the Christmas vacation, though, so that’s good!

DivaDiane wrote: "You’re doing well!

I never did very well on the short fiction challenge. My issue with reading short story collections is that I read a story and then tend to forget about the collection because ..."

thank you, I'm surprised, the number of short stories I have read this year so far would be what I read in a year.

I really want to keep up my reading this year and so thought, maybe, short stories will get me there, we shall see but so far it's working.

Yeah, I too would forget, and have done, what I do now is just read short stories on one of my kindle devices, so when I open it it reminds me I'm still reading it.

I like Brabdury, I read Martian Chronicles last year and want to read more of his work but this year if I do it will be short stories.

Anisha Inkspill wrote: "I like Bradbury, I read Martian Chronicles last year and want to read more of his work but this year if I do it will be short stories.."

he was a master of the short story

Challenge update

completed:


2026 TBR Cleanup Challenge: You Are What You Read

Appetiser The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
snack food Making Space
In a pickle Brave New World


Short Fiction Challenge: 5 read

short stories:

The Visit by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin enjoyed more.
Making Space by R.F. Kuang described as speculative fiction, an ok read
Why Don't We Just Kill The Kid in the Omelas Hole by Isabel J. Kim

Novellas:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

You are crushing your challenge!

Anisha Inkspill wrote: "This was lucky, another group is doing an Edgar Allen Poe reads, I know some of his works are Sci-Fi, I'll see if I can read thenm as well.

Oh, and thinking on The Romance of the Three Kingd..."</i>

Anisha, I am so glad you are here too!
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms does count, just in the same way that [book:The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende counts. Much of the mystical aspects are cultural elements.

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "You are crushing your challenge!"

so far 🌞, I think my bigger challenge will be to keep going

Cynda wrote: "Anisha, I am so glad you are here too!
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms does count, just in the same way that [book:The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende counts. Much of the mystical aspects are cultural elements."

hiya Cynda, it's good to be here, and awww, nice you're here too.

for years I've meaning to read more sff, and this I thought I'm just going to do it.

Good to know about The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I wouldn't mind revisiting that in a few years.

update:

Short Fiction Challenge: 6 read

short stories:

The Visit by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ✔️ 6th Jan 2026
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin ✔️ 13th Jan 2026
Making Space by R.F. Kuang ✔️ 21st Jan 2026
Why Don't We Just Kill The Kid in the Omelas Hole by Isabel J. Kim ✔️ 22nd Jan 2026
26 Monkeys, Also The Abyss by Kij Johnson ✔️ 23rd Jan 2026



Novellas:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley ✔️ 23rd Jan 2026

update:

Short Fiction Challenge: 7 read

short stories:

The Visit by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ✔️ 6th Jan 2026
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin ✔️ 13th Jan 2026
Making Space by R.F. Kuang ✔️ 21st Jan 2026
Why Don't We Just Kill The Kid in the Omelas Hole by Isabel J. Kim ✔️ 22nd Jan 2026
26 Monkeys, Also The Abyss by Kij Johnson ✔️ 23rd Jan 2026



Novellas:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley ✔️ 23rd Jan 2026


Plays / Poetry:
Dr. Faustus ✔️ 04th Feb 2026

If you're looking for short story collections, one of my favourites is Harry Harrison; both Harrison and Asimov wrote lots of short stories.

Brian wrote: "If you're looking for short story collections, one of my favourites is Harry Harrison; both Harrison and Asimov wrote lots of short stories."

Yes, I am, thank you.

I've even got a collection of short stories by H G Wells, that's a century old, inherited it from my grandfather, I'm assuming it would be in the public domain, it is available on Librivox.

Totally get that. The hardest part is consistency, not the sprint. Your pace so far is awesome though, and even “slow and steady” will stack up by the end of the year.

Brian wrote: "I've even got a collection of short stories by H G Wells, that's a century old, inherited it from my grandfather, I'm assuming it would be in the public domain, it is available on Librivox."

if you read Kindle books, it's likely included in this Delphi Collected Works of H.G. Wells which is $2.99 on amazon.com.

Appreciate that. I’m trying to treat this as a year long habit, not a hype week.