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Rupert’s Year In Books

Rupert’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Rupert’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Adam McPhee

4,458 books | 4,992 friends

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836 books | 70 friends

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Rupert Matthews

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February 2010

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Rupert Matthews's Blog

TALK - Plagues, Pandemics and Covid 19

Yesterday I have my talk on "Plagues, Pandemics and Covid-19" to a History Club in Sussex via Zoom.

This is - inevitably - a fairly grim talk but fascinating nonetheless. And in the end it has a message of hope to us all. Humanity has survived far worse diseases than Covid-19. Have a look at this map of the spread of the Black Death across Europe. Up to half the people in Europe were wiped ou

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Rupert Matthews’s books

Average rating: 3.74 · 3,013 ratings · 405 reviews · 370 distinct works • Similar authors

	Titanic: The Tragic Story of the Ill-Fated Ocean Liner 4.31 avg rating — 288 ratings — published 2011 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jack the Ripper's Streets of Terror: Life during the reign of Victorian London's most brutal killer 3.85 avg rating — 209 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stalingrad: The Battle that Shattered Hitler's Dream of World Domination 3.86 avg rating — 196 ratings — published 2012 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hitler : Military Commander 3.68 avg rating — 161 ratings — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jack the Ripper's Streets of Terror: Life During the Reign of Victorian London's Most Brutal Killer 3.78 avg rating — 154 ratings — published 2013 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Age of the Gladiators: Savagery & Spectacle in Ancient Rome 3.52 avg rating — 157 ratings — published 2004 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	You Wouldn't Want to Be a Mayan Soothsayer!: Fortunes You'd Rather Not Tell by Rupert Matthews (Goodreads Author), David Antram (Illustrator), David Salariya (Goodreads Author) (Created by) 3.94 avg rating — 119 ratings — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alien Encounters 3.46 avg rating — 122 ratings — published 2007 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	You Wouldn't Want to Be a Chicago Gangster! by Rupert Matthews (Goodreads Author), David Salariya (Goodreads Author) (Creator), Mark Bergin (Illustrator) 3.86 avg rating — 94 ratings — published 2010 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sasquatch: True-Life Encounters with Legendary Ape-Men 3.66 avg rating — 93 ratings — published 2008 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Rupert’s Recent Updates

Rupert Matthews rated a book liked it Transcendence My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Well this was a fascinating book, but not really for me I'm afraid. The author was an Indian aerospace scientist and 11th President of India (2002–2007). In writing this book he rather takes for granted that you know a lot about India, its government ...more
Feb 18, 2026 05:05AM · like · see review
Rupert Matthews rated a book liked it The Midden by Tom Sharpe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I haven't read a Tom Sharpe book in decades. My memory of them from my youth was that they were uproariously funny, acutely observed satire and broad farce of ingenious plotlines, great characters and hilarious jokes. Either this is not a very good S ...more
Feb 14, 2026 05:52AM · like · see review
Rupert Matthews rated a book really liked it 2017 War with Russia: An Urgent Warning from Senior Military Command by Richard Shirreff	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A gripping thriller about a near-future show down between Russia and the west. Written in 2016, this book peers into the near future at a likely scenario for a war with Russia. Not giving too much away but the author envisages a successful invasion o ...more
Jan 30, 2026 10:05AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 2017 War with Russia by Richard Shirreff. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 2017 War with Russia by Richard Shirreff <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rupert Matthews rated a book it was amazing Assignata: Forged of Sand and Steel by D. C. Trewartha	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A cracking adventure novel set in a fantasy world of swords, science fiction and medieval barbarity. As with all fantasy novels, the first task for the reader is to understand the world and society where the novel is set. In this novel, this slowly u ...more
Jan 25, 2026 05:20AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Assignata by D. C. Trewartha. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Assignata by D. C. Trewartha <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rupert Matthews rated a book really liked it Over My Dead Body (William Warwick #4) by Jeffrey Archer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Another good, dependable thriller from Jeffrey Archer. The characters are believable and engage the sympathies really easily. Plenty of twists and turns in the plot to keep you guessing right to the end about what is going to happen. So, if you fancy ...more
Jan 25, 2026 04:52AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Over My Dead Body by Jeffrey Archer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Over My Dead Body by Jeffrey Archer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rupert Matthews rated a book really liked it The House of Wolf by Tony Robinson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A great adventure novel set against the backdrop of Dark Age England & Rome. The book is about Alfred the Great's rise to power. As with real life he is overshadowed throughout most of the book by his father and elder brothers. Indeed, Alfred doesn't ...more
Jan 14, 2026 11:52AM · like · see review
Rupert Matthews rated a book really liked it wings of grace by Heather Mann (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this odd little book. It is part story, part recollecton, part history, part call to Faith in Christ. Along the way we meet a fascinating mix of characters - brave, cautious, charming, bold but always full of faith in Christ. Winston Church ...more
Dec 31, 2025 06:14AM · like · see review
Rupert Matthews rated a book really liked it The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
It is a long time since I read anything by Frederick Forsyth, so i was not really certain what to expect here. As it turns out, this was a gripping thriller of a book. As with "The Day of the Jackal" there is a lot of process in the book and not a hu ...more
Dec 30, 2025 10:01AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rupert Matthews rated a book liked it Ocean: A History of the Atlantic Before Columbus by John Haywood	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is a fascinating book. At first I thought the subject a bit uninspiring, but I soon got into the story of the Atlantic Ocean - its animals, currents, climate and weather. Then the humans appear and it really begins to get going. I knew next to n ...more
Dec 14, 2025 11:51AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ocean by John Haywood. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ocean by John Haywood <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rupert Matthews rated a book it was amazing Those in Peril (Hector Cross, #1) by Wilbur Smith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A great adventure story. Or rather two stories as it is very much a book in two parts - almost two books which feature the same characters. This book is all action and all go. There is barely time to catch your breath between chases, fights or busine ...more
Oct 16, 2025 10:18AM · like · see review

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Quotes by Rupert Matthews (?)

“Outsiders might mistake the East Enders habit of dealing with their own issues as being criminal, but to the local inhabitants it was more a case of keeping things out of the hands of the authorities.”
― Rupert Matthews, Jack the Ripper's Streets of Terror: Life during the reign of Victorian London's most brutal killer

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“Murder, even an accidental killing in a fight, was not only frowned upoп but was rare. In 1887 there was only one murder in Whitechapel, and in 1889 none at all. So while violence was common and widespread, killing was not.”
― Rupert Matthews, Jack the Ripper's Streets of Terror: Life during the reign of Victorian London's most brutal killer

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“It is not the number of victims that Jack the Ripper claimed that ensure his lasting fame. Only five women were definitely killed by him, and certainly there were no more than eight victims. Other serial killers since then have murdered more. And although the horrific mutilations Jack the Ripper carried out were disturbing and violent, they too have been surpassed since. In the records of serial killers, Jack the Ripper is unexceptional in many ways. But he remains the most famous of them all.”
― Rupert Matthews, Jack the Ripper's Streets of Terror

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