The Rushford Times - A weekly newsletter from Jodi Taylor

Sent on Wednesdays to paid subscribers and Fridays to free subscribers

This week we have:

• Jodi Taylor on Children’s Classic Books

• A David Sands Writing Competition entry: Time Sands Still by Melissa Valentine

• This Week in History: The Battle of Agincourt, 25 October 1415

• The St Mary’s Short Stories Christmas Reading Challenge - Story Three in the Read all the St Mary’s Christmas Short Stories before Christmas Day Challenge is Ships, Stings and Wedding Rings

• Hazel’s audiobook book recommendation: Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

• October - Book of the Month: Out of Time

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything new on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

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My birthday’s in October – fairly close to Christmas, but not too close. Especially sixty years ago when Christmas never began until after Bonfire Night. Halloween didn’t really exist then.

Anyway, I was given a book token for my birthday – I think I must have been about seven or eight which makes this around 1959 – and my dad took me into a bookshop in Cheltenham. I don’t know why Cheltenham and not Gloucester where we were living – he just did.

He handed me over to a shop assistant and disappeared on some mysterious errand of his own. I told her I had a book token and she said good timing, because all the Christmas annuals were just coming out so I’d have a wide choice.

Quite automatically I moved towards a pile of exciting-looking books. Top of the pile was The Eagle Annual. Anyone remember Dan Dare – Spaceman; together with his dastardly enemy – the Mekon? And just over there was The Victor Christmas Annual – among others.

I geared myself up for twenty minutes happy browsing only to be shunted firmly in the direction of the Girls’ Books section. There was The Judy Annual – full of little girls with ponies and ballet lessons. And The Bunty Annual – full of little girls with ponies and ballet lessons. And The Girls’ Crystal – anyone remember that one? Full of little girls with ponies and ballet lessons and plucky young things having adventures in boarding school.

I can’t remember whether I indicated displeasure or not – at seven or eight, probably not – and I can’t remember what I came away with. Every Christmas book would, in future, be eclipsed by the discovery of Henry V and Agincourt, from which I never looked back.

Well, actually, that’s not true. I’ve spent most of my life looking back in History but you know what I mean.

Recently, I was in Waterstones with one of my granddaughters and I’m happy to say she was excited to look around the children’s selection of books. There was colour and excitement and enticing covers and she was happily running from one to the other picking up everything she liked the look of – and, trust me, she liked the look of a lot of books – and I spent a minute or so reflecting on how much has changed since 1959. Obviously – it would be weird if it hadn’t – but you know what I mean.

For a start, no one was pushing her into books of their choice rather than hers. She can – and does – read anything she likes. There are no longer girls’ titles and boys’ titles. Nothing is deemed unsuitable for girls. They can read stories about astronauts and ship’s captains and explorers and scientists and no one ever tells them they can’t read that sort of book because they’re only for boys and girls don’t do that sort of thing. I remember the only jobs open to girls in the late fifties or early sixties were hairdressing, secretarial, teaching or nursing. I really didn’t fancy any of those. I wanted to be an engine driver – steam trains, obviously. When steam gave way to diesel, I wanted to be an astronaut and defend the earth against alien invasion.

Conversely, I suppose, these days no one ever tells little boys they can’t read books about ballet or ponies or fashion if that’s what floats their boats. I wonder how many little boys would have liked a good ballet story but instead were shunted towards scoring the winning try at rugby and saving the school. From what is never really specified. Aliens, if they were very lucky.

As far as I remember it, there was a publisher – Dean and Son – who published what were known as The Classics. A series of books deemed suitable for children. Do any of these ring a bell?

Girls’ titles

What Katy Did

Heidi

Black Beauty

Wuthering Heights

Jane Eyre

Boy’s titles

Treasure Island

Kidnapped

Ivanhoe

Gulliver’s Travels

Coral Island

I’m sure these titles are still available although they’re no longer marketed like that. Black Beauty, with its tail-docking and bearing reins and the tragic death of Ginger is still relevant today, I’m sure. And Ivanhoe is a cracking story.

I’m sure that somewhere there will be a list of contemporary titles, but I’ve been thinking which books I’d class as Classics today. Perhaps we could compile our own list. No more political correctness – no gender allocation – just good stories that will appeal and stand the test of time. I’m going to start the ball rolling with these suggestions:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Hobbit

Green Eggs and Ham

Northern Lights

Where the Wild Things Are

And … off you go.

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Time Sands Still by Melissa Valentine

“You forgot sunscreen. You have died of sunburn” the sterile Earth Path computer voice calmly told Ren.

“Gah! This game is impossible to win” they groaned.

“Are you still trying to survive life on Earth in that vid game?” Seth asked.

Ren had been trying to work their way through the reading list of historic texts from 2025 to prepare for camp, but had needed a break. They thought the game Earth Path would be an easy distraction, but how could anyone who lives underground on Mars remember to pack sunscreen, or bring the portable satellite dish - shaped rain protection called an umbrella when they went out?!

“Leave them alone Seth” Inaya signed. “You have no circuits to stand on since you never beat the game anyway.”

“Wow, making bionic foot jokes now are you Inaya?” Seth laughed. “You sure do put your best foot forward.”

“That was one of your worst foot jokes so far.” Zoe said, as she walked in the room.

Ren watched the rest of the group get comfortable in their favorite spots around the room. Seth was tall and thin with unruly brown hair. He was in possession of one bionic foot, the product of an accident that he never talked about, and an unlimited supply of terrible puns. Well, to be fair he thought they were fantastic and everyone else just thought they were fantastically terrible. Inaya sat in a chair next to the window and fiddled with her hijab. Her hands never stopped moving, even when she wasn’t signing. Ren had a sudden thought, which happened more times than they could keep track of, but how was Mars sign language different from Earth’s? Were there different signs in the various old languages? The books about Earth explained that the language they all spoke now was mainly English, but it said nothing about sign language. Ren tried to make a mental note to look it up. Meanwhile, Zoe had settled into a bean bag chair on the floor. Her blonde curls were swept back from her face with a rainbow clip and she was reading a book like always. This one was about intertidal habitats of North America.

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This Week in History: The Battle of Agincourt, 25 October 1415

On 25 October 1415, St Crispin’s Day, King Henry V of England led a weary, outnumbered army to one of the most extraordinary victories in English history. The Battle of Agincourt, fought in northern France during the Hundred Years’ War, became a defining moment in the medieval struggle between England and France and an enduring symbol of courage against overwhelming odds.

Henry’s campaign had begun with high ambition. Determined to assert his claim to the French throne and revive English fortunes in France, he sailed from Southampton in August 1415 and besieged the port of Harfleur. The victory came at a terrible cost, however, as dysentery tore through his army, leaving thousands dead or unfit for battle. When the weakened English force began its march towards the English-held port of Calais, the French army moved to intercept them.

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The St Mary’s Short Stories Christmas Reading Challenge

Story Three in the Read all the St Mary’s Christmas Short Stories before Christmas Day Challenge Ships, Stings and Wedding Rings

Who’s up for joining in the St Mary’s Christmas Reading Challenge? You simply need to read the 11 St Mary’s Christmas stories and leave a comment below each story as you finish them. We will feature one story a week up to Christmas.

This week’s book is Ships, Stings and Wedding Rings

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Hazel’s audiobook review: Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety is a dazzling and immersive journey into the glitz, glamour, and shadows of 1920s London. With her signature blend of intricate plotting, dry wit, and beautifully drawn characters, Atkinson paints a vivid picture of a city teetering on the edge of decadence and danger. Narrated by the brilliant Jason Watkins, this audiobook is an absolute treat, bringing the novel’s richly layered world to life with style and charm.

Set in the heart of Soho in 1926, the story follows Nellie Coker, a formidable nightclub queen determined to maintain her empire against rising threats from rivals, law enforcement, and even her own children. Against this backdrop, a tangled web of missing girls, corrupt officials, and social ambition unfolds, making for a gripping, multi-threaded narrative that keeps listeners hooked.

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Raising the Dead is a new St. Mary’s Halloween short story - it’s now live for paid subscribers and will be free for everyone on Halloween.

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October - Book of the Month: Out of Time

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