It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (30th September)

Its Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme run by Book Journey and you can mention books you've just finished, are currently reading and any you plan to read this week. You can leave a link to your blog and read other bloggers posts.

 

This week I read a couple of really good books:

Doctor Sleep  by Stephen King

More Than This by Patrick Ness

 

I'm not yet sure what I'll read next but it will probably be The Last Winter of Dani Lancing: A Novel by P.D. Viner that I got from Netgalley.

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Seth is almost seventeen when he drowns and dies. Then he wakes up, he's naked but alive and at his old childhood home in England, there's no on else around and everything is covered in dust. What is going on? Has he died and this is the afterlife or is there more to life than he had always presumed? Every time Seth sleeps memories come back to him so as well as finding out what's happening to him now we also gradually learn more and more about his life from before.

This book grabbed hold of me straight away, I can't recall reading anything like it and I loved the characters, particularly Tomasz. There are so many twists and turns I couldn't guess what was going to happen next or where the story was going. This is a very difficult book to review without giving too much of the story away, I haven't read any of the author's other books so wasn't sure what to expect especially as it's a YA novel but I was very impressed with his writing and it didn't feel as though I was reading a book aimed at teenagers. At first I was a little disappointed with the ending but thinking about it now I'm not sure how else the author could have finished it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Book Blurb:

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. 

Book Beginnings on Fridays (More Than This by Patrick Ness)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.

 

My book beginning: More Than This by Patrick Ness

Here is the boy drowning.

In these last moments, it's not the water that's finally done for him; it's the cold. It has bled all the energy from his body and contracted his muscles into a painful uselessness, no matter how much he fights to keep himself above the surface.He is strong, and young, nearly seventeen, but the wintry waves keep coming, each one seemingly larger than the last.

I haven't read anything by Patrick Ness before but this one looks interesting and I managed to get near the front of the queue to borrow a copy from the library.

Book Blurb

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighbourhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonising memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this.

Friday Finds (27th September)

Friday Finds is run by Should Be Reading and is a chance to share the books you've heard about this week and have added to your TBR or wishlist.

 

 

I saw The House Next Door by Anne Siddons on a Goodreads horror book list, I've ordered a copy as it will be a perfect Halloween read. I've also added The Matrix by Jonathan Aycliffe to my wishlist.

Book Blogger Hop (27th September-3rd October)

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted at Ramblings Of A Coffee Addicted Writer and this week's question is:

 

What weekly memes do you follow on a regular basis?

 

Apart from Book Blogger Hop I also follow:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading 

Top Ten Tuesday 

Book Beginnings on Fridays 
Waiting On Wednesday 
WWW Wednesdays 
Teaser Tuesdays 
Friday Finds 

  

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

 

Doctor Sleep begins a few years on from when The Shining finished; Danny Torrance is living with his Mum Wendy, still seeing ghosts from the Overlook and in contact with Dick Hallorann. It then jumps forward to when he is an adult; he is now known as Dan and things aren't going well for him, he is following in his Dad's footsteps and is an alcoholic. He ends up in Frazier, a small New Hampshire town, makes friends, joins AA to get help with his drinking.  Dan starts working in a hospice where he's given the nickname Doctor Sleep because he sits and comforts the dying at the end of their lives. He is contacted by Abra, a girl with a very strong Shining, even stronger than Dan had when he was a boy. However there are a group of people who call themselves the True Knot, who are on constant lookout for children like Abra, children they can torture and murder so they can get hold of their Steam to help them live for ever. They've found out about her and she's going to need Dan's help if she's to survive.

Doctor Sleep differs to its predecessor in that although there are scares in the story it isn't an out and out horror but more of a thriller. Where Stephen King excels in this as well as many of his other books is with his characterisations and the quality of his storytelling. I received and started reading this on the publication day and struggled to put it down, it grips you straight away with no overlong build up or need for better editing, which King has been guilty of in the past. If you haven't read The Shining it's not essential but I recommend you do so first just for Dan's back story and no, watching the film doesn't count. For what it's worth I enjoyed the film and it works as a standalone but it's very different to the book.

Stephen King is one of my favourite authors so when it was announced he was writing a follow up to his 1977 novel The Shining I was obviously more than a little excited. A common problem when you really look forward to something is that it can often fail to live up to expectations, I'm pleased to say this wasn't the case for Doctor Sleep and it was worth the long wait.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Waiting On Wednesday (25th September)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to be published.

  

 

This week mine is The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring

Welcome to Borley Rectory, the most haunted house in England.
The year is 1926 and Sarah Grey has landed herself an unlikely new job - personal assistant to Harry Price, London's most infamous ghost hunter. Equal parts brilliant and charming, neurotic and manipulative, Harry has devoted his life to exposing the truth behind England's many 'false hauntings', and never has he left a case unsolved, nor a fraud unexposed.
So when Harry and Sarah are invited to Borley Rectory - a house so haunted that objects frequently fly through the air unbidden, and locals avoid the grounds for fear of facing the spectral nun that walks there - they're sure that this case will be just like any other. But when night falls and still no artifice can be found, the ghost hunters are forced to confront an uncomfortable possibility: the ghost of Borley Rectory may be real. And, if so, they're about to make its most intimate acquaintance.

Publication date: 24th October 2013 

Teaser Tuesdays (24th September)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser:

Reaching with an arm that seemed too long, too stretchy, too boneless, he turned the knob and opened the door.
The woman from Room 217 was there, as he had known she would be.

Page 4 of  Doctor Sleep by Stephen King   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (23rd September)

 

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme run by Book Journey and you can mention books you've just finished, are currently reading and any you plan to read this week. You can leave a link to your blog and read other bloggers posts.

 

This week I finished reading: 

Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman

Trust by David Moody

 

I'm not currently reading anything, Doctor Sleep by Stephen King should (fingers crossed) be delivered tomorrow and I want to start it straight away.

 

 

 

Liebster Award Nomination

Monique from Mo Books nominated me for the Liebster Award. I'd never heard of this before and I'm so happy that Monique thought of me for this.
The Liebster Award is a way to help blogs you like with less than 200 followers, and to give them some deserved attention so our followers can discover them as well.

Rules:
Link back the blogger that tagged you;
Nominate 10 others and answer the questions of the one who tagged you;
Ask 10 questions for the bloggers you nominate;
Let your nominees know of their award.

Monique's questions:

1. What are you currently reading?

Trust by David Moody

2. What is your favourite book of all time?

The Road by Cormac McCarthy, I've read it 3 times and probably will again.

3. How did you come up with your blogs name?

My maiden name is Baker and Bakey was a nickname I was given years ago, I thought it went well along side book blog.

4. Who are your top 3 book boyfriends?

This sounds terrible but I honestly can't think of any, most of the books I read are apocalyptic or psychological thrillers and the male characters in these don't tend to be great boyfriend material hahaha! 

5. Do you have a favourite book quote?

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again - the first sentence from Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

6. Do you have any of your own personal memes on your blog?

I don't at the moment but would love to start one.

7. If you could meet any author, past or present, who would it be?

Stephen King, I've loved his books since I was a teenager and whenever I see or read interviews with him he comes across as very down to earth.

8. Have you any bookish pet peeves?

Books with really small print and I've got worse about this since getting a kindle. Also books with very old yellow, smelly pages, if I request a book from the library that I want to read and it's in this condition then I can't read it.

9. What are your favourite genres?

Post apocalyptic and psychological thrillers.

10. If you could be a character from any book, travel to any world, who would you be? Where would you go? And (again from any book) who would you bring with you?

Great question! I would be Thursday Next, the literary detective from the Jasper Fforde novels, I would travel to the alternative world the books are set in and bring Miss Marple along with me.

My Questions:

1. How are you today?

2. What are you currently reading?

3. Who is your favourite author?

4. Which genre will you never read?

5. Why did you start your blog?

6. Do you own an ereader?

7. What's your favourite meme that you take part in?

8. Are you a member of a book group?

9. Have you read any books more than once?

10. The last book you gave up on? 

My Nominees:

Rita @ My Home Of Books

Jo @ Jaffareadstoo

Mina @ Mina's Bookshelf

Cora @ Tea Party Princess

Annette @ Impressions In Ink 

Iniya @ Ini's Ravishing Reads 

Jacquelyn @ Jax's Book Magic 

Jo @ Jo The Kiwi Bookchick 

Margaret @ Literary Chanteuse 

Gaby @ The Last Chapter 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Book Blogger Hop (20th-26th September)

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted at Ramblings Of A Coffee Addicted Writer and this week's question is:

 

What is your favourite genre? List two of your favourite books in that genre.

I found this weeks question difficult to answer as I like a lot of different genres. I've decided to go with post apocalyptic and my two favourite from this genre are:

The Road by Cormac McCarthy 

The Stand by Stephen King

I've read them both more than once and will probably read them again in the future as well.

  

Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman

Abby is driving to visit a friend with her 8 month old daughter Beth when she is forced off the road, dragged into a van and subjected to a vicious attack. She's left by the side of the road but when help comes she discovers that Beth has been taken from her car. DI Michael Gardner is put in charge of investigating the case and uncovers secrets from Abby's life but there is no sign of the baby or any clue as to what has happened to her. Abby never gives up hope that she is alive and well, even going to parks and children's play areas five years later looking for her as she believes she will recognise her daughter if she sees her.

I loved this, it's hard to believe that Stolen is the authors debut novel and she successfully manages to get across Abby's anguish. It's everything you want a good thriller to be, fast paced and gripping with plenty of twist and turns. Also the short chapters made it difficult for me to put it down as I raced towards the end.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Tin Can Tree by Anne Tyler

When young Janie Pike dies in a tragic accident, she leaves behind a family numbed with grief and torn with guilt and recrimination. In this compassionate and haunting novel Anne Tyler explores how each member of the family learns to face the future in their own way.

 

The Tin Can Tree follows some of the residents of the small Larksville town after the funeral of six year old Janie. Along with Mr & Mrs Pike other characters in the story include Janie's ten year old brother Simon, his cousin Joan and their neighbours James and Ansel.
I found the character of Ansel really annoying and I'm not sure if I was supposed to or meant to feel sorry for him. I wanted James to stand up to him and stop putting his own life on hold to help care and look after his older brother.
This was only Anne Tyler's second published novel and although nowhere near her best is still worth reading if you're a fan of her work. After all, an off form Tyler book is still a lot more enjoyable than others by less talented authors, but I wouldn't recommend it to start with.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme by The Broke and the Bookish and each week there's a different topic. As always, even if you can't think of 10, do as many as you can. This weeks topic is books on my fall 2013 TBR list:

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King - On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death. I  have been waiting ages for the follow up to The Shining to come out and finally it's almost here. 

The Troop by Nick Cutter - Everything changes when a haggard stranger in tattered clothing appears out of nowhere and collapses on the campers’ doorstep. Before the night is through, this stranger will end up infecting one of the troop’s own with a bioengineered horror that’s straight out of their worst nightmares. Due for release in January 2014, I've been lucky enough to get an ARC from NetGalley

Trust by David Moody - The most important event in human history takes place in the middle of nowhere. Perspectives are altered. Perceptions are changed. Nothing will ever be the same again. Is this a moment of deliverance for the human race, or the beginning of its end? Tom Winter thinks he knows, but if he's right, then seven billion other people are wrong.  I've recently read and enjoyed the authors Hater series, this one is about aliens who arrive on Earth and claim to be friendly

Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach - Leila has never met Tess, but she now knows more about Tess than anyone in the world. She’s read all of her emails, researched her past and asked Tess for every detail about her friends and family. Tess has never met Leila. But if she wants to slip away from the world unnoticed, she needs to trust Leila with her life.  A psychological thriller that has been getting some great reviews, I managed to get the kindle edition when it was cheap.

 

More Than This by Patrick Ness - A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? I haven't read anything by this author but this one sounds interesting, requested a copy from the library.

Precious Thing by Colette McBeth - Imagine discovering something about your oldest friend that forces you to question everything you've shared together. The truth is always there. But only if you choose to see it. A psychological thriller that I stumbled across on the library website so I've requested a copy.

The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald - He's gone. And telling the truth won't bring him back...
When a baby goes missing on a lonely roadside in Australia, it sets off a police investigation that will become a media sensation and dinner-table talk across the world. Another book I'm waiting for the libary to get in.

A Serpentine Affair by Tina Seskis -  Seven old friends. One annual reunion. Countless feuds. How do friends stay friends for more than 25 years when there is so much to feel aggrieved about? So when their picnic in the park goes horribly wrong and one of them ends up in the Serpentine, who knows what really happened? And just what secrets from the past are about to unfold, changing everyone's lives forever? I read the author's first novel and got this one from NetGalley.

 

The Last Winter Of Dani Lancing by P.D. Viner - Twenty years ago, college student Dani Lancing was kidnapped and brutally murdered. The killer was never found, and the case has long gone cold. Her parents, Patty and Jim, were utterly devastated, their marriage destroyed. While Jim fell apart, Patty was consumed by the unsolved case. She abandoned her journalism career and her marriage to spend every waking hour searching and plotting. She keeps contact with Tom, Dani's childhood sweetheart, who has become a detective intent on solving murders like Dani's. When he finds a lead that seems ironclad, he brings Patty in on it. After years of dead ends, her obsession is rekindled, and she will do anything for revenge, even become a killer herself-dragging her whole family into the nightmare once again, as lies and secrets are uncovered. I've got an ARC of this to review.

The Homecoming Of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield - It's 1956 and Samuel Lake, a handsome preacher, is voted out of his ministry by yet another congregation, disappointed by his relentless pleas for them to live more charitable lives. Out of options and out of pocket, Samuel and his family are forced to move in with their Arkansas in-laws, the rambunctious Moses clan.
At first they thrive in the unruly sea of relatives – Willa, Samuel's wife, runs the bar for Grandma Calla, while the boys, Noble and Bienville, run riot through the surrounding countryside. But when Swan, their formidable but loveable 11-year-old tomboy, crosses the path of neighbour Raz Ballenger, things take a turn for the worse. Had this one on my Kindle for a little while and I'm going to try and get it read soon.

 

 

Musing Mondays (16th September)

Musing Mondays is run by Should Be Reading and asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

 

 

My musing:

 

Next Tuesday (24th September) is the publication date of Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. His follow up to The Shining is probably my most anticipated book for some time, if not ever!  I can't remember when this novels publication date was confirmed but I seem to have been waiting for it to come out for a very long time and I've pre-ordered a copy which should hopefully be delivered on the day of publication. I'm now trying to plan the books I'll read before hand so I can start it as soon as or not long after it arrives. I hope it lives up to my expectations.

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (16th September)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme run by Book Journey and you can mention books you've just finished, are currently reading and any you plan to read this week. You can leave a link to your blog and read other bloggers posts.

 

 

This week I finished reading:

 

Shift by Hugh Howey

Little Joe by Michael E. Glasscock III  

The Tin Can Tree by Anne Tyler

Just started reading:

 

Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman

 

 

 

Morrissey pulls his autobiography http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24077284

Book Beginnings on Fridays (The Tin Can Tree by Anne Tyler)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.


My book beginning: The Tin Can Tree by Anne Tyler

After the funeral James came straight home, to look after his brother. He left Mr and Mrs Pike standing on that windy hillside while their little boy wandered in circles nearby, and the only one who saw James go was Joan. She looked over at him, but she didn't say anything.



I've read quite a few review books in a row that I haven't loved so wanted to read something next that I was fairly certain I'd enjoy and that wouldn't feel like a chore to finish.  Anne Tyler is one of my favourite authors and she hasn't disappointed me yet.

Book Blurb:

When young Jamie Pike dies in a tragic accident, she leaves behind a family numbed with grief and torn with guilt and recrimination. In this compassionate and haunting novel Anne Tyler explores how each member of the family learns to face the future in their own way.

 

Next Read

I've read a few review books in a row that I haven't loved so I've decided my next book will be one of my own that I know I will enjoy. I'll probably choose one of these Anne Tyler novels from my TBR pile:

Little Joe (Round Rock #1) by Michael E. Glasscock III

Little Joe Stout, the only survivor of a car crash that claims the lives of both his parents, is sent to live with his maternal grandparents on their Tennessee farm. Having spent all of his nine years living in a town he has to get used to his new rural environment and lifestyle.
This isn't a bad novel by any means but I was hoping for more, the story is during World War II and I usually love fiction set in this time period, unfortunately this book didn't grab me or keep me interested all the way through. I didn't think Joe and his grandparents feelings about their bereavement were properly explored, at one point it seemed that Joe was more upset about having to eat the greasy farm food and the farm animals than he was at his loss.
Having said this the author has obviously researched what it was like in Tennessee during the war and it was a pleasant enough, quick read. I also liked the characters, despite their lack of development, but I did find myself skipping parts towards the end and won't be reading the next book in the Round Rock series. Perhaps this book is meant to be/should be aimed at younger readers.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Shift (Wool Trilogy 2) by Hugh Howey

In a future less than fifty years away, the world is still as we know it. Time continues to tick by. The truth is that it is ticking away. A powerful few know what lies ahead. They are preparing for it. They are trying to protect us. They are setting us on a path from which we can never return.

Shift is the second novel in the Wool trilogy and a prequel to the first book, I don't recommend that you read this if you're not already familiar with Wool. I read the omnibus edition which consists of three parts, First Shift - Legacy, Second Shift - Order and Third Shift - Pact and these are also available as separate ebooks.
We learn about how and why the underground silos were built, congressman Donald is given the job of designing one and is a main character in the novel. He's away from his wife Helen and has been made to work with an ex girlfriend, Anna.
As with Wool, I loved the start of the story and thought parts of the book were very good but it didn't manage to hold the same level of interest for me all the way through, the Third Shift felt overlong and the story drawn out. It hasn't put me off reading the final novel in the trilogy, Dust, to find out how the story concludes.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'd Love To See As A Movie/TV Show

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme by The Broke and the Bookish and each week there's a different topic. As always, even if you can't think of 10, do as many as you can. This weeks topic is books you'd love to see as a movie or TV show.

 

Here are mine:

The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
A novel set in a dystopian future.

Replay by Ken Grimwood
Jeff is forty three when he dies at the start of the book, then he wakes up, is at college and only eighteen years old but has all his memories and knowledge from his life before.
 
Then by Julie Myerson
A bleak and haunting post apocalyptic story.
 
A Quiet Belief In Angels by R.J. Ellory
Twelve year old Joseph Vaughan hears about the murder of a young girl, the first of many that will blight his small, rural community over the next decade.  Joseph and his friends are determined to protect Augusta Falls against the evil in their midst but the murderer evades them and they watch helplessly as one child after another is taken. The story starts in 1939 but follows Joseph throughout his life.
 
A Kind Of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth
Annie moves into her new home, she's morbidly obese and lonely. The story is told through her eyes as she tries to achieve a 'certain kind of intimacy' with the boy next door and isn't deterred by his girlfriend. An excellent pyschological tale.
 
Cell by Stephen King
Mobile phones wipe the brains of millions of humans leaving them destructive and aggressive. Clayton Riddell doesn't have a mobile, is unaffected and goes on a journey to find his estranged wife and son. 
 
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Ursula Todd is born on 11th February 1910 but the cord is wrapped around her neck and with the doctor unable to reach the house because of snow she dies. Then, in the next chapter, it's the same day again and this time she lives. In fact every time she dies it becomes 11th February 1910 again, she's reborn and gets another chance.
 
Peter James - The Roy Grace series 
A series of crime novels (currently at 9 books) involving Dectective Superintendent Roy Grace.
 
The Death Of Grass by John Christopher
Written in 1956 this post apocalyptic book is about a virus that kills all types of grass, causing starvation across the world and society to break down.
 
The Passage by Justin Cronin
A huge post apocalyptic novel, the first in a trilogy.