Tuesday July 12, I ventured to the local Spring store in hopes to get service of my new phone. Unfortunately, after spending nearly an hour and the sales rep looking at my ID twice or more, I was told I was 3 months too young to get service. Frustrated, soaked to bone from rain, and upset I walked across the street, through Red Robins parking lot to Barnes&Noble. I decided to purchase a book I've been wanting to read for the past few weeks How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune. The book arrived at my house Saturday, July 16, and I spent all day Sunday reading it.

I was not disappointed by Mr. Klune and the fantastic book How to be a Normal Person. In full disclosure, the only advice on how to be a normal person in this book is from a website the main character find off the internet and is fully convinced was written by a dude with a small mustache. It's pretty much a romance novel, but a hilarious, awkward, I-can't-even romance novel.

Gustavo Tiberius, 29, is not normal, he still has a flip phone from 2004, no internet, owns a video rental store in 2014, and does not liking people, smiling, colorful clothing, and he definitely does not like hipsters and their instagramming food ways.

Casey Richards, 23, is new to Abby, Oregon. Casey is an asexual stoner hipster who writes post-apocalyptic, vampire/werewolf YA novels, constantly takes selfies, wears bright clothing, and rocks a man bun. He is also immediately entranced with Gus, every thing about him.

All Gus wants to do is go about his regular routine, but Casey wakes something in Gus. Stepping out of his normal routine, his comfort zone, and everything he knows, Gus makes it his mission to become the most normal person he can become for Gus, because that's what Gus deserves.

This article isn't suppose to be a book report though, but now that you have a general idea of this hilarious book, let me get to what I really wanted to talk about; uniqueness, asexuality, and TJ Klunes amazing writing.

I think it's very important for everyone and anyone to be who they are on the inside. Gus decides to become normal after overhearing Casey call him "weird and abnormal and strange," words that bring an unknown pain to Gus' chest. If you like starbucks and over the shoulder sweaters, drink starbucks, wear your comfy sweaters. If you like band tee's, with ripped skinny jeans, you rock that style. Do. Not. Follow. Trends. You. Are. Not. Into. Especially for someone else. Be you and no one else, because only you can rock how you feel, only you can make yourself feel amazing in the heart. Whether you're going to admit it or not, almost everyone knows the heartache of doing something you don't want to do because someone else likes it.

I gotta say, the fact that Klune decided to make Casey asexual gives me joy beyond belief. Asexuality is constantly undermined in media, literature and even the LGBT+ community. Many asexuals are told every day that asexuality isn't real, that they aren't part of the LGBT+ community, and are belittled for their sexuality. While my asexuality isn't something i'm belittled for, I do know the hurt of being told to be normal, and being looked down upon for being different. Casey tells Gus about how his parents weren't very accepting of Casey's sexuality, I felt the pain in Casey's heart. Your parents not being accepting of you in anyway hurts.

Even with all the pain and sadness you feel throughout this book for both Gus and Casey, there is humor on almost every page. With fantastic gems like "It was Friday night, time to party....at 7 he had a beer, but just one. Anymore and he'd be drunk encyclopediaing and that would just be a reckless thing to do," (pg. 22) and " Gus looked into his closet and groaned "I'm a Gothic Repressed Suburban White Kid." He didn't know what was worse, the fact that he was a gothic repressed suburban white kid, or that fact that he didn't even know he was" (pg 83), you'll definitely need to stop and laugh.

So, if you're looking for a summer book, or a book thats just slightly harder to find than most, or an LGBT+ orientated book How to be a Normal Person is a great pick. If Gus and Casey don't seem your style, but you still want an LGBT+ book, you don't need to look far, because Klunes publisher, Dreamspinner Press has a ton of books and at least one of them has to be your style.

"Never let anyone tell you who you are is wrong. It's okay to be gay. Or straight. Or bisexual. It's also okay to be asexual, demisexual, pansexual or aromatic. You do you and if anyone gives your grief for that, just remember one thing: You are exactly who you are suppose to be." ~TJ Klune (authors note)

Dreamspinner Press website: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

How to be a Normal Person: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/how-to-be-...