DNF - The Summer Fletcher Greel Loved Me - Suzanne Kingsbury

So this is my first Did Not Finish for the year. I'm not even going back to it. Probably not ever. And not for the lack of an interesting story. I really think it's the way it's written.

On Goodreads, this has some REALLY great reviews. I stopped at 15% for a few weeks, then read the reviews, then decided to keep on trucking. I made it to 22%, I haven't read it in about three weeks, then I picked up Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, finished that book in two days, and realized that I should quit trying to suffer through this book.

And honestly, 22% into the book, not much has happened. A big secret is revealed at the very beginning, and you think it's going to lead into all this goodness, but 1/5 of the way through the book, Fletcher and Haley have ran into each other once. How can he love her all summer when the summer is 22% over and you don't know each other?

It just seems slow. That's not to say that I don't think other people would enjoy it, because it really does give you a good feel of the south at this time in history (even though it doesn't give a clear answer to what time that is.)

Not recommended, but not to say others wouldn't enjoy it.

And on to the next!

ETA: I actually started this book in November or December, and I just couldn't get through it. I read the majority of what I read in late December, and picked it back up after finishing Wench. I should have realized that spending months not looking at my Kindle, because I hated that I didn't want to pick it up, meant that I needed to move on. It was a harsh break up. The book I'm reading now has me sucked in pretty good though, and we are only a few hours in.

Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn has done it again.

I have now read all three of her books. Sharp Objects, I read in less than 48 hours.

At the beginning of the year, I told myself that I would try to read 2 books a month. That gives me over two weeks for each book. I got stuck on my first book in February, and finally picked this up two evenings ago and devoured it. That first February book, I'm going to delete it off my Kindle. Just wasn't a book I could read. More on that in another post...

Sharp Objects is a great mystery, very dark, a happy place I like to go to every once in a while. This is another book by Flynn when I kept thinking, "I know I know who the murderer is - but who is it?" Just when I think I've got it figured out - BAM! BAM BAM! (Lots of twists)

Definitely recommended. A+. Deranged and dark and wonderful.

Jillie's First A&M Checkup

Hey guys! Jillie had her first check up down at A&M today. They only did a physical exam and a neuro exam, which really wasn't much. The results were that she is 100% normal in all ways, except that she is still apparently completely blind in her right eye. 

So the real news is that because she has had a brain injury that caused a seizure, she will always be susceptible to seizures, especially now that there is damage from previous damage. However, the Keppra and the dosage she is on is a very small dose (and I've been freaking out that she has been doped up, so that's good to hear) and since it is controlling the seizures, it's very good news. The downside is obviously that it's 3 times a day, but we haven't had any problems with that.

Right now, she is pretty much being treated as an epileptic, but for different reasons. They said they have dogs who are a lot worse than her and live normal lives, so she is practically a normal dog :)

They said that she was very sweet to everyone in the back (duh) but of course we are glad to almost be back home.

So there are still no conclusive results. It's kind of frustrating, because it kind of seems like every different doctor I see gives me a different answer about what they think it is. The doctor today (a new one) seemed to be pretty sure it was a tumor or mass, but the neurologist we saw the day we brought her home said she wasn't thinking it was. The problem is obviously that I didn't want to do a biopsy (with good reasons,) so there isn't a definite answer what was in there.

I guess whatever it is, we are controlling the symptoms to have a normal dog :)

I should be receiving her MRI images in the mail within a week, and I'll post the pictures of it. It's hard to imagine how bad it was without seeing the pictures, so I'm just trying to give everyone some insight. Just glad to have a happy dog at home :)

Jillie as of 2/2

It's weird to say that I never thought Jillie would make it to her one month appointment back at A&M, but the time is dwindling near! Here are some updates:

• It does appear as if she is getting some vision back in her right eye. She doesn't flinch like she does with her left, but she does blink. So we are hoping that she is starting to see some shadows and that it will only continue to improve!
• She is having a small problem with flatulence. I know this seems petty, but when I, as a human without a weak stomach, almost vomited when she dutch ovened me in the car this morning, you know it's bad.
• She is working with me this week! I'm lucky to have a super cool boss who is letting me bring Jillie with me. She is a already a favorite in the office. I think she is even scoring me some cool points!
• At her vet appointment last week, she was up to 60 pounds! In case y'all were wondering, she started at 64 pounds, and when she went to A&M after 2 1/2 days of not eating/drinking, she weighed in at 57.2 pounds. She still did not eat for three days after that, so she probably lost close to 10 pounds, if not more.

That's all we have today! Back to wondering how such horrendous stenches come out of such a precious puppy!

Also: 6 AM doesn't appear to come easy for any of us -