How to Be a Normal Person

By: TJ Klune

Narrated by: Derrick McClain

Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Gustavo Tiberius is not normal. He knows this. Everyone in his small town of Abby, Oregon, knows this. He reads encyclopedias every night before bed. He has a pet ferret called Harry S. Truman. He owns a video rental store that no one goes to. His closest friends are a lady named Lottie with drag queen hair and a trio of elderly Vespa riders known as the We Three Queens.

Gus is not normal. And he's fine with that. All he wants is to be left alone.

Until Casey, an asexual stoner hipster and the newest employee at Lottie's Lattes, enters his life. For some reason, Casey thinks Gus is the greatest thing ever. And maybe Gus is starting to think the same thing about Casey, even if Casey is obsessive about Instagramming his food.

But Gus isn't normal and Casey deserves someone who can be. Suddenly wanting to be that someone, Gus steps out of his comfort zone and plans to become the most normal person ever.

After all, what could possibly go wrong?

©2015 TJ Klune (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

Good book

It's a good book but I didn't feel it was a romance. I felt that it was like a dudelit (chic lit but guys). I felt like Gus' self development was the major thrust of the story with his and Casey's relationship a secondary plot. I wonder if I felt that way because of the lack of physical aspect of romance or it that was the goal of the author. I did enjoy the book but won't classify it as romance.

Wow to be normal ...

This is an awesome read. Didn't know what to expect from the title, but WoW!

Such a brilliant tale

Any additional comments?

This author is is becoming one of my favorite go to audio book authors for sure.

His characters are so multi dimensional you just don’t know what you’re getting getting until you’re listening/reading and in turn getting sucked into the story being told.

Case and point, this one. you think, average person, average life, then wham, three woman walk into his video store wearing matching jackets and they rest of the story is one brilliant hot mess after that.

Gus is the best at being or trying to be the most average person ever. Problem is he’s not… at all. And Casey, is such a wonderful compliment to that it’s amazing.

As these two figure out each other, life, the town, everything we have the pleasure of going on the journey with them.

All the secondary cast make up this tale, and honestly with out this wouldn’t have been the same.

And true to form, what a wonderful HEA to round it out.

Gus and Casey -Maybe you Know Someone Like Them!

I love these books that expand on the lives of On the Spectrum/Autistic and or Asexual, Anxiety prone people. People may find some of this as total fantasy - but there are heartbreakingly people who are On the Spectrum and Asexual - sometimes for Anxiety untreated, sometimes DNA - but nevertheless they deserve to live happily and deserve acceptance. I loved this story, I Love the people who accept and Love Gus - Casey - and share the Love of God with all his creatures - as I believe is meant to be. Gus and Casey are a beautiful couple - Everyone has a place - there is No Place, No Room for Hate. Jesus said, Love Never Fails - and stories by TJ Klune, NR Walker, Kindle Alexander - Mary Calmes, and Sooo Many others open our minds to what is out there. The term Weird can be applied to ANY of Us. I am a Christian heterosexual married mother of three - and great books like these help us all expand our minds - thank you for your beautiful work and writing introducing us to these enigmatic men.

Amazing!

I’m in love with Gus! Omg. He’s a personification of my mood in the mornings. I adore his unflinching and total acceptance of Casey as a full person and not just a label. We Three Queens and the Ironic Amigos are also phenomenal, and I’ve already downloaded How to be a Movie Star!

Wonderful story and performance but...

There were several skips in the narrative-technical issues that detract from enjoyment of performance. Audible should do better job of technical editing.

"what is normal"that is the question

this poignant story of how to become normal is filled with humor, and will give you much to ponder

Another gem from TJ

An easy read with a breath of honesty and lightness perfect for the soul. LOVED IT!!

LOVE!

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to listen! I love Gus, Casey, Harry S. Truman, and the We Three Queens!

ALL THE STARS FOR THIS. ALL OF THEM.

Any additional comments?

Oh, Derrick McClain, you hit a home run with this one.

He brought Gustavo Tiberius to life, made Casey Richards so much more than just an asexual stoner hipster, and I loved what he did to make Lottie and We Three Queens so real.

ALL THE STARS FOR THIS. ALL OF THEM.

This. This was...awesome and fantastic and wonderful and heartwarming and touching and sad and funny and just...I want to fangirl all over this so hard. But in a totally not gross way.

Gustavo Tiberius is not normal. After his father, Pastor Tommy dies, Gus settles into a his daily routine. It's very much a wash, rinse, repeat kind of life until the day he and his ferret, Harry S. Truman, walk into Lottie's Lattes and he meets Casey Richards, a stoner hipster who turns his world upside down.

Gus is immediately both repelled and fascinated by Casey...but more time spent with Casey makes Gus want something he's never really thought to want before: he decides he wants to be "normal" so he can be with Casey. What follows is both touching and hilarious as Gus sets about trying to be the best normal person he can be with some interesting results.

This story about a man who accepts everyone, even if he's snarky about it, gave me so many feels. I got a total heart boner. Seriously, this story good touched me all over my heart.

There are three things I expect from a TJ Klune story: 1. To laugh. Oh, how I laughed. I laughed a lot. 2. To have wookie-cry-face at some point. Yep, that happened too. The laughs and the feels in this are more muted than in other TJ stories, but no less magnificent. And 3. To learn something. Which I did. I learned a little more about acceptance, asexuality, and being true to yourself.

I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH. Buy this book. Now. Go. Seriously. Go get this book right now!