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A Different Kind of Normal

by Cathy Lamb (Goodreads Author)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 540 ratings · 119 reviews

From an acclaimed author comes a novel of family, love, and resilience--a heartwarming, insightful story that fans of quality women's fiction will relish.

Paperback, 480 pages

Published July 31st 2012 by Kensington

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Dec 05, 2012 Hannah Reynolds rated it 2 of 5 stars

There are page-turners, and then there are page-flippers. Page-flippers are books that inspire you to flip through them, looking for the next part that's relevant to the plot. I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit after I decided to skim it; it has a strong cast of main characters, some fun plot points, and some genuinely moving exchanges. It also has about 200 pages of fluff and repetition. Had this book been only 200 pages, I probably would have laughed, cried, and bought it for all my frie...more There are page-turners, and then there are page-flippers. Page-flippers are books that inspire you to flip through them, looking for the next part that's relevant to the plot. I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit after I decided to skim it; it has a strong cast of main characters, some fun plot points, and some genuinely moving exchanges. It also has about 200 pages of fluff and repetition. Had this book been only 200 pages, I probably would have laughed, cried, and bought it for all my friends. As it is, it got a lot of eyerolls and a quick return to the library. The plot involves bullied kids, disabled orphans, brave/funny/brilliant disfigured kids, sad drug addicts, dying nice old people, and a self-sacrificing earth mother, so I'm going to come off as totally heartless by criticizing this thing, but I'm going to anyway!

The rundown: Jaden is the single mother of a disfigured, genius highschool boy, who was abandoned by Jaden's drug-addict sister when he was 2 hours old. His dream is to play basketball. Jaden is scared he'll get 1) mocked and 2) injured or possibly killed; any rough action MIGHT dislodge the shunt in his brain. The argument between them over whether or not he can join the team is repeated so often you could make it a drinking game. The first few times it was moving; boy with dreams, mom with valid concerns. After a while, I wanted them both to just shut up about the dratted basketball team, and I LIKE basketball.

The son, Tate, has a blog about his disfigurement that, naturally becomes a big hit. We are told repeatedly how brilliant this budding chemist/neuroscientist is, but his blog reads like the writings of a bright 8 year-old rather than a genius 16 year-old. I've read blogs by my high school and college students, and they were more informative than these entries. They were not believable based on his precocious, mature character, and the blog was the first thing I started skimming.

Jaden works as a hospice nurse, and repeated scenes with a new cast of patients every few chapters are done to death, pun intended and regretted not a whit. Again, at first these scenes were exciting. Her reflections on the various ways sick patients and their families face the inevitable death, and a complication with one obnoxious adult son decides to make trouble, intrigued me. After a while, though, I felt like I was rereading the same scene.

There are some humorous, zany scenes with her nieces and nephews that just didn't quite work for me. There is a lot of basketball. Did you get wish there were more Quidditch scenes in Harry Potter? You will love this book! Do you like reading scenes when a kid gets bullied, and then some other guy who would normally be on the bully's side, but is now disgusted by his cruelty is all "HEY STOP BEING A JERK, I'M ASHAMED OF YOU!" and then the bullied kids get dragged out of the room, and then that happens about 10 more times? You will like this book too!

The best part of the book was Jaden's history of magic and her relationship with her mother and drug addict sister; witchcraft supposedly runs in her family, though she doesn't believe it. We get some terrific stories about her ancestors. Jaden herself gets premonitions when she works with herbs, and for most of the book, she keeps smelling death, which naturally freaks her out even more regarding her son's safety.

The worst part, for me, was the love interest angle and the ensuing dialogue. Can I just say that I really don't like love scenes in which 1) a man declares his love 2) the woman declares her love 3) the woman argues that she is not lovable (I'm so temperamental, etc) and 4) the man argues that yes, she is (I love your passion)! Kiss first, fish for compliments later, sez I.

By the way, did people in 19th century Great Britain have witch burnings? I thought they didn't. Could cruel slaveowners from South Carolina easily track women down in early Oregon settlements? I thought that might be difficult, given the absence of easy travel and communication. This book indicates I may have been wrong, though. It really made me think.(less)

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Nov 12, 2012 Gwyneth Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars

I discovered Cathy Lamb with her first book, Julia's Chocolates, and have loved her writing ever since. And while I was a little disappointed with her last book, I think she is back on track with this one. It's the story of Jaden Bruxelle, who, at the age of 19, adopts her nephew Tate, because her sister, his birth mother, is an addict and can't take care of him. Perhaps because of the drugs, Tate is born with an abnormally large head and multiple medical problems. These serve to isolate him and...more

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Nov 03, 2012 PacaLipstick Gramma rated it 1 of 5 stars

I have read other Cathy Lamb books and really enjoyed them.
I was sorely disappointed with this one. The whole story was just too hokey and unbelievable. The constant sexual innuendos, their behaviors, the characters just didn't seem believable. Even the behavior and goings on of their ancestors was too over the top. The only one who I thought was "real" was the drug addicted Brooke. She was the only character that I think I could have found in real life.
I know it is supposed to be a feel good st...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Wathira Nganga rated it 3 of 5 stars

Stories of witches are always common around Halloween, but Cathy Lamb’s A Different Kind of Normal is not a typical supernatural tale. In lieu of monsters and ghosts, high school bullies stalk the pages and the specter of drug addiction haunts the protagonists. The characters use wit and endurance rather than magic spells to overcome hardship.
Jaden Bruxelle is a tough, independent hospice nurse who is raising her younger sister’s son Tate. Tate is a cheerful, boisterous seventeen-year-old. He se...more Stories of witches are always common around Halloween, but Cathy Lamb’s A Different Kind of Normal is not a typical supernatural tale. In lieu of monsters and ghosts, high school bullies stalk the pages and the specter of drug addiction haunts the protagonists. The characters use wit and endurance rather than magic spells to overcome hardship.
Jaden Bruxelle is a tough, independent hospice nurse who is raising her younger sister’s son Tate. Tate is a cheerful, boisterous seventeen-year-old. He sees the bright side of every situation, despite abandonment by a mother who chose drugs over him, and a deformity in the back of his head.
Tate desperately wants to play basketball in the hope that he will finally gain social acceptance. The kids at his school physically and verbally bully him regularly. But Jaden is afraid that any physical impact in the game will displace the shunt that carries the extra cerebral fluid out of his head and keeps him alive.
Colorful characters in Tate’s and Jaden’s life pepper the pages with their own stories, some tragic, but also humorous.
Jaden’s mother Rowan is a soap opera star who alternates between Hollywood and the family home in Oregon. She firmly believes she is a witch from a long line of witches, and often tries to convince Jaden of her true heritage.
Jaden’s brother Caden is a former wrestler who is now a florist and single dad with a twelve-year-old daughter and three-year-old triplets. His muscular appearance masks his gentleness towards his children.
Jaden is a matter-of-fact narrator who sees everything in black-and-white. At times, though, her narrative tends to veer uncharacteristically towards the overt sentimentality of a romance novel whenever she is around her crush, Ethan Robbins, Tate’s doctor.
Cool, calm Jaden disappears in raunchy daydreams during scenes with Robbins, and sometimes even when he’s not present. One moment in Jaden’s greenhouse when he comes over for lunch painfully reads:
“We waited in the awkward, steamin’ silence together. I reached for another clay pot, then withdrew my hand as I thought of straddling Ethan on my wicker chair with the red pillow. The pot toppled over and I caught it before it hit the floor. I put the pot back, then stared at a ceramic peacock I had on a shelf to distract my rampaging lust.”
Jaden’s attraction to Robbins does go to show the length of her devotion to Tate – she refuses to compromise Tate’s access to the best neurosurgeon in the region with a personal relationship. Of less importance is the constant hassle of Dirk Hassells. Yes, that is the character’s actual name.
Dirk Hassells is the son of one of Jaden’s clients who has liver cancer. He repeatedly makes sexual advances at her. When his father eventually dies, Hassells sues Jaden for negligence as payback for her rebuffs. His storyline only provides a nuisance to Jaden and doesn’t really contribute to the plot.
If Hassells and Robbins perhaps had fallout over Jaden, the tension might have moved the plot forward in that respect. However, the two men never meet and Hassells remains a grumpy and unnecessary secondary character throughout the book.
The multiple storylines are not difficult to follow, but the plot is not always linear. Jaden’s memories of her childhood, especially of her sister Brooke’s descent into drug addiction, do provide a decent amount of plot exposition. Moreover, tales of her witchy ancestors provide an important backdrop to the story.
The Bruxelles’ witch ancestors, in particular two cousins named Faith and Grace, are models of survival for Jaden and her family. Faith and Grace braved angry mobs, a treacherous ocean passage, the wild American west, and other perils over the course of their lives, yet always came out strong.
In the same way, their descendants in the novel face insurmountable obstacles – drugs, physical deformity, and the death of a loved one – and tackle them together. If you don’t mind lengthy family histories, a roundabout plotline, and some whacky characters including a few (possible) witches, A Different Kind of Normal is the book for you.(less)

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Aug 08, 2012 Nancy Narma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amazing Tale of Family, Love, & Loyalty”

Jaden Bruxelle is a young, extremely serious and professional hospice nurse. She has helped patients and their families through their final moments with tender loving care, respect and understanding. But, her main concern is for the welfare of Tate, the gifted young man who she has loved and cared for since her drug-addicted Sister; Brooke gave birth to him seventeen years ago and walked out of their lives. Jaden became his Mother (later known as “Boss...more Amazing Tale of Family, Love, & Loyalty”

Jaden Bruxelle is a young, extremely serious and professional hospice nurse. She has helped patients and their families through their final moments with tender loving care, respect and understanding. But, her main concern is for the welfare of Tate, the gifted young man who she has loved and cared for since her drug-addicted Sister; Brooke gave birth to him seventeen years ago and walked out of their lives. Jaden became his Mother (later known as “Boss Mom”) at 19. Tate’s birth was a difficult one and due to lack of prenatal care, use of drugs, etc., he was born with an enlarged head and eye placement issues. Tate is not mentally challenged—on the contrary, Tate is one brilliant, intuitive, loving individual, who wants to be accepted for who he is and be a part of “the group” at school but his fondest wish is to play basketball. Jaden quakes at the notion, afraid he’ll get hurt—especially since he has a shunt which could lead to serious consequences if dislodged. I have to say that Tate captured my heart right from the start. His outlook on life, the way he handles the size of his head (naming it “General Noggin”--don’t forget Bert, Ernie, Billy, Bob, and his eyes; “Roadrunner” and “Mickey Mouse”), trying so hard to fit in while being bullied and mistreated—then turning the other cheek. We could all learn much from Tate. What an extraordinary fellow! His personality shines through even more on his blog. Through all of the trials and tribulations, family is the anchor in both of their lives. To truly understand the Bruxelle Family roots, we are first transported back in time and “across the pond” and are introduced to witchly twin ancestors; Henrietta and Elizabeth who are supposedly responsible for “The Curse”. They married wealthy gentlemen and each gave birth to a daughter—Iris and Rosemary, who carried on their Mothers’ powers, almost losing their lives to a lynch mob, then escaping to America where their names became Faith and Grace. Their knowledge of herbs, spices, flowers, (and spells) have been passed down for generations—landing at Jaden’s feet.
We meet Jaden’s soap opera queen, extremely outspoken but loving Mother; Rowan, who wants nothing more than the best for her children and grandchildren while dealing with the ever present feeling of loss for her beloved husband and missing daughter. Tate affectionately calls her “Nana Bird”. Ex-wrestler turned florist, muscled teddy bear, Jaden’s Brother, Caden, has his hands full being a single Dad to spitfire, adopted daughter; Dimini and perpetual motion, costumed triplets; Heloise, Harvey and Hazel. As strong as her love is for her family, Jaden has deep, romantic feelings for Tate’s talented neurosurgeon; Ethan Robbins hidden within, as she is aware there can’t be a romance due to his doctor/patient relationship with Tate. Or can it?? Ethan is the only one she trusts with her son’s care. The insight into Jaden’s hospice cases will tug at your heart—and you’re allowed (my opinion), to hiss and boo at slime-ball, Dirk. Will Tate get to play basketball on his High School’s team? Will Jaden and Ethan find love? You’ll chuckle, laugh out loud and, believe me, the tears will flow, within the pages of this Author’s latest masterpiece. You won’t be disappointed! All I can say is “Thank-you and more, more, more Cathy!” I’ll be waiting for more heartwarming tales and bet you will be too! Nancy Narma
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Jul 09, 2012 Julie Barrett rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Different Kind of Normal by Cathy Lamb
Love reading about magical mystical powers and what regular herbs can do not only in spells but healing humans.
Centuries earlier the twin sisters had some fights: the powers that be set a spell on the sisters and it showed up down the family tree with one male child, Tate being deformed at birth: a huge head, eye not where it should be etc, making him appear to be a monster. His mother won't allow him to play sports as he's a teen now due to his medical co...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-to-look-for

All I can say is that this is a different kind of novel. Lamb creates characters that are so real you want to sit down and chat with them yourself. The story is about Jaden, a hospice nurse who took over raising her abandoned nephew when she was only 19. Her drug addicted sister left her physically challenged newborn at the hospital leaving Jaden to do the only thing she knew to do; to love that child with all heart and to fight for his survival, raising him as her own. Tate, the abandoned child...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Cindy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was really disappointed with this book. I chose to read it, because I read "Henry's Sisters" by Cathy Lamb and once I realized how eccentric Cathy made her characters, I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters in Henry's sisters, I laughed when they laughed, and cried when they cried. However, after reading A Different Kind of Normal, it is doubtful I will indulge in another Cathy Lamb book.
There was not one character in this book I could relate to, and although I appreciate a little "eccen...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Peri Schacknow rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 1/2 stars. I REALLY liked this book. I actually kind of loved it, but did get a tiny little bit tired of Jaden's refusal to let Tate play basketball. It's understandable that that was the best way to demonstrate her worry and concern for him, but it did become somewhat belabored. To her credit, Cathy Lamb made Tate's rebuttals honest, funny, and at times, heartbreaking, so even thought it was a bit of a flaw for me, it was most definitely not a dealbreaker.

I don't do book synopses in my review...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Charlotte rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-readers-copy, nook

http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot....

A Different Kind of Normal is so much more than just a mother/son story. Although it is pretty important to the story. The whole family dynamic of the Bruxelle's play an integral part of the story. It is a most interesting family, Jaden's mother is a Soap Star and her brother is a retired professional wrestler who is parenting his three children alone. Their unique situation and unending loyalty to each other is really quite touching. It really added somet...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Stacey H rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

While Cathy Lamb does have a flair for the dramatic, the story of this book is enthralling. The more you read about Jaden, her family, and her patients the more involved you become in the story. Your heart breaks for the son who is just trying to find some way to balance his dreams and his reality and you cheer for him every step of the way. The patients that Jaden cares for are a unique and endearing parade of people and you winds up wishing you knew about them and their stories as well. This b...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cathy Lamb, you have done it again. You've made me laugh out loud and weep in public; you've given me visions and inspiration and a racing heart; characters I care for deeply. I don't know how you do it, but please, don't ever stop.

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Jul 22, 2012 Judy rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Different Kind of Normal – A Heart Felt Story!

I loved this book. It really hit home. One of the main characters in this book was born with a big head. The medical term for this is called Hydrocephalus. I have a relative that was born with this same condition. This made the book come alive for me because of that fact.

Tate Bruxelle, was born with a big head. His real mother, Brooke, abandoned him after birth. She simply walked away from the hospital leaving Tate there. Jaden Bruxelle, the sister...more A Different Kind of Normal – A Heart Felt Story!

I loved this book. It really hit home. One of the main characters in this book was born with a big head. The medical term for this is called Hydrocephalus. I have a relative that was born with this same condition. This made the book come alive for me because of that fact.

Tate Bruxelle, was born with a big head. His real mother, Brooke, abandoned him after birth. She simply walked away from the hospital leaving Tate there. Jaden Bruxelle, the sister of Brooke, at nineteen years of age took Tate to raise as her own; giving him the care he would have never gotten if Brooke had stuck around. Tate called Jaden, Boss Mom . Jaden and Brooke’s mother Rowan Bruxelle, a Hollywood movie star, also played an important part in Tate’s life. Tate called Rowan, Nana Bird. Tate also had a name for his big head, General Noggin.

There are many other supporting characters in this book that are just as loveable as the main characters. You will come to love them as I did.

I experienced many emotions while reading this book. Laughter, oh my goodness there is so many laugh out loud moments in this book. There is anger, because some people are just plain mean. There are moments of great sadness and loss. Most importantly there is love and plenty of it.

The family in this book is a very supporting family. The love just flows. The caring is outstanding. This book shows how a true family lives and even though it is fictional, you get good goose bump moments from it. I really loved that about this book. A family sticking together through thick or thin is what it is all about.

I took away from this book that compassion is very important. Letting go of hurts is very important. Forgiveness is very important. Don’t spend your life hating what you can’t change but loving what you can.

The author Cathy Lamb is a new author to me. This is the first book I have read of hers. It won’t be the last. She has a way with words describing each and every scene as if you were right there in it. She knows how to bring out compassion, support, caring, forgiveness, and love in her main characters. To sum it up, I just can’t say enough about this book.

I wish to thank Kensington Publishers for providing me with an ARC copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

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Jan 01, 2013 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the story about a boy who was born with an abnormally large head due to his mother being a drug addict. He nearly died at birth but was saved as the result of a tedious brain operation. His mother left him with his aunt at birth and he is now a Junior in high school. Life has been hard for him due to a great deal of bullying at school but his aunt is a wise parent and has done quite well with him. But now he really wants to live life to the fullest. The story is quite heartwarming and he...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Jackie Mceachern rated it 5 of 5 stars

I cannot express enough how much I loved this book. It was my first Cathy Lamb book and promptly went out to our local bookstore about bought the other Cathy Lamb titles that they had.

I related so much to Jaden, one of the main characters, who is struggling as a Mom with letting go of her son, Tate. My children don't have special physical circumstances, as Tate does, but I so struggle with being at peace with their life decisions when I don't agree with them. This book helped me with this so muc...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had some trouble getting into this book at first; the cast of characters seemed much quirkier than some of Cathy's books, but after a bit the story flowed more easily. I loved that the reader could deeply feel Tate's challenges of being different, Jaden's angst over protecting him and yet setting him free, and of course the love story between Jaden and Ethan. There are many different elements of very real life issues such as the impact of Brooke's ongoing drug addiction and her relationship wi...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-recommendations

Cathy Lamb has done it again!!! She has an amazing ability to create incredibly unique, likable, funny characters and put them together in a story filled with creative situations while telling a story filled with thought provoking life lessons. I always find myself instantly absorbed in the characters and the story and laughing one page and crying on the next. I loved the way she gave such insight and maturity to young Tate and his view of life and his situation. Jaden is such a wonderful carin...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Tamara rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really did not like this book. I found that she picked way too many themes to touch on. This made all her characters seem completely unrealistic to me. She did drug abuse, orphanges in India, death and dying, medlical malpractice, special needs child, single dads and I think that is it. Too much subject matter not enough depth. Everything ended well and as expected and the I felt all the characters except the main character to be one dimensional. Reading this book was like watching a play tha...more

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May 14, 2013 Marissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow! That's all I have to say! This one is a little different from the other Cathy Lamb books I've read in that it focuses on a whole family with "issues". Some good, some bad. But it is about family. Jaden was an intense character, but a fantastic mother. Tate, oh Tate. I loved his character. With everything he's been through and is going through, he can still find humor in the world. What shocked me most is how sucked into the family drama I was (from Tate, to Brooke, to the witches, to Ethan)...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Cathie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can sum this book up in one word: Beautiful! In true Cathy Lamb fashion, readers are brought a story that will make you laugh out loud, and is absolutely certain to bring forth tears of empathy and grief. It's what Cathy Lamb does best, and it's probably why she truly is my favorite author.

Lamb's newest novel tells the story of 17-year old Tate. Born to a strung-out and drug-addicted mother (Brooke), and adopted at birth by his 19-year old aunt (Jaden), Tate's life will be anything but easy. L...more I can sum this book up in one word: Beautiful! In true Cathy Lamb fashion, readers are brought a story that will make you laugh out loud, and is absolutely certain to bring forth tears of empathy and grief. It's what Cathy Lamb does best, and it's probably why she truly is my favorite author.

Lamb's newest novel tells the story of 17-year old Tate. Born to a strung-out and drug-addicted mother (Brooke), and adopted at birth by his 19-year old aunt (Jaden), Tate's life will be anything but easy. Likely due to his biological mother's drug abuse and lack of any prenatal attention, Tate is born with a very enlarged head and lopsided eyes which make him appear freakish to strangers. To his family - his Boss Mom (adopted mom, Jaden), his Nana Bird (grandmother), and his uncle and cousins - Tate is beautiful. He's brilliant and funny, and he teaches his family that love and laughter heal tears.

When Tate begs to go out for the basketball team, Jaden's overprotective and hovering tendencies begin to smother her enthusiastic son. Can Jaden put aside her fears and allow Tate to behave like a normal kid? Can she step back and allow him to handle, in his own way, the teasing of strangers without pounding them to a pulp with her bare hands?

A Different Kind of Normal is what fans of Lamb have come to expect: a story of love and family, beautifully written with strong characters, some sadness, and a whole lot of humor. She simply never let's us down!

Finally getting to read a new Cathy Lamb book is like being on a diet for a whole year; eating only fresh fruits and vegetables, but yearning for that warm chocolate lava dessert at your favorite restaurant. You finally decide to treat yourself, so you feel the need to eat it slowly and savor every single bite because you know - when you're done - you'll have to go right back to those ho-hum fruits and veggies you've been existing on for the last year.

I've finished my "dessert." I wish I could say I ate it slowly and savored every single bite, but the truth is that I shoveled it in with a serving spoon in each hand. It's going to be a long year while I wait to see what Cathy Lamb has in store for us next.
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Sep 26, 2012 Laurel-Rain rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Bruxelle family has an intriguing history. Ancestors who might have been witches; a tendency to focus on herbs and other potions; and a general quirkiness that sets them apart from others.

But what takes them totally outside the range of normal is Tate, the seventeen-year-old boy that Jaden has raised on her own, with the help of her brother and mother; the child whose birth mother, Jaden's sister Brooke, walked away from right after he was born. A child whose head is overly large, with a shu...more The Bruxelle family has an intriguing history. Ancestors who might have been witches; a tendency to focus on herbs and other potions; and a general quirkiness that sets them apart from others.

But what takes them totally outside the range of normal is Tate, the seventeen-year-old boy that Jaden has raised on her own, with the help of her brother and mother; the child whose birth mother, Jaden's sister Brooke, walked away from right after he was born. A child whose head is overly large, with a shunt; a young man who is struggling to find his own version of normalcy despite his issues. A very special and brilliant boy who excels academically, but is desperate to play basketball and be on a team. He just wants to belong.

A drug addict, Brooke has been absent for Tate's whole life, and now he wants to meet her.

Will allowing Brooke back into Tate's life ruin his chances at happiness? Can joining the basketball team be a good thing, or will the potential dangers prevent the very thing he wants most?

As Jaden struggles to do what is best for Tate, we get to empathize with her emotions; tune in to her internal monologues as she sorts through the dilemmas; and we feel the joys and sorrows that go along with parenting. While she is parenting, she is also a hospice nurse, with those very special emotional journeys that sometimes seem overwhelming.

At one point, Tate begins a blog and through the connections he has established, begins to see that he is not so alone after all. He has developed a unique brand of humor and insight that shows through and brings many followers to his site.

I liked this realization that Jaden reaches after considerable soul-searching:

"The truth is, Tate would not be Tate without the insight, compassion, and sensitivity that had come to him through his hardship. That's the gift of not being normal. Let's face it, you become a deeper person amidst adversity. You become a more perceptive, strong, resilient person when life is not handed to you on a silver platter held by a butler."

My favorite parts of "A Different Kind of Normal" were the ways in which Jaden's family totally wrapped itself around her and Tate, giving them support, cheering them on at every turn, and showing that special brand of uniqueness that comes from being different. Five stars. (less)

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Aug 18, 2012 Maryellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well done Ms. Lamb, well done. There are so many words that I could write about what happens in this book to a family of characters that in true Cathy Lamb fashion make you want to be best friends with some of them and run over others with your car. Your big car. Instead I'll tell you what happened when I fell under the spell of A DIFFERENT KIND OF NORMAL. I became 'friends' with the characters. I missed the characters when I close the back flap of the book. I laughed at the hilarious scenarios....more

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Mar 07, 2013 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very good read, thought provoking. My only criticism is that I felt there were too many irrelevant characters. It added to the story to hear of some of the main character's hospice cases, but I don't think they were all necessary. Same thing with the cast members on her mother's show. Getting mini bios on these people who were not a part of the story added nothing, just made the book a longer read. I will read more from this author, though, as the good in the story way outweighed the less than...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Bobbie Grob rated it 5 of 5 stars

I grabbed this book off the library shelf, knowing nothing about it or the author. I just needed one more book and I was in a hurry, and this was right there. I'm so glad it was. This story is literally the best story I have ever read. The characters are not only fully developed and believable, but they are warm, crazy, loving, and just a little off-kilter. I cried and laughed and raged my way through this book, and I cannot wait to read more of Cathy Lamb's work.

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Oct 24, 2012 Mary Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a very good read - some humor, some tears, some suspense, etc. At the center of the book was a very loving family that did not fit the norm - everyone had their own quirks - some more pronounced than others. But all were accepted as they were within inthe confines of the family. OUtside the family was a bit different. The story of Tate was at times heartbreaking as he strove as a teenager with physical and social differences to be accepted as he is. He faces life with a healthy dos...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

I enjoy this author however, I think I may be outgrowing her writing style. She always has the one over the top female character who insists on loudly claiming her body parts, and her female characters cannot seem to hold a conversation with the men they are attracted too. The male characters are either terrible or wonderful there is no in between. She always has that one male character that was once a football player who is depicted as manly but overly sensitive.

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Dec 29, 2012 Sarah Kish rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-reads

This is one of my close friend's favourite authors and she chose this book for us to read at book club. They loved it - I hated it. It was incredibly unrealistic and cheesy. I understand what the author was trying to accomplish and I appreciate the warm message but it was awful. Some moments were so cheesy and awkward, they were hard to read. I'm pretty sure I actually rolled my eyes many times throughout reading this book.

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Mar 12, 2013 Tawn Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I randomly grabbed this off the "new fiction" shelf of the library, and didn't expect that I would even finish it. I'm glad I got it because I found the dialogue hilarious, the characters very likable and realistic, and the plot interesting. It has maybe a bit of the "made for book club discussion" feel about it, but well worth reading, funny in parts, sad in parts, and a good slice of life.

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Aug 18, 2012 Margo rated it 4 of 5 stars

This author is great at putting hysterically funny parts in the middle of tragedy. Mostly it felt true to life, but there were a few things that were unbelievable. Definitely appreciate how this book shows it is our choices that determine what we make of our lives, and that we can either choose to step up and create something good, or refuse to take accountability and let life pass us by.

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Aug 09, 2012 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This story engaged me on several fronts: the strongest story line was about how it felt to not be normal and I really thought that Cathy Lamb did an excellent job of letting me as a reader see it through the eyes of the teenager born with a deformity and through the eyes of his mother. I also was moved by the impact that the drug addicted daughter had on her family.

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About Cathy Lamb

Cathy Lamb was born in Newport Beach, California. As a child, she mastered the art of skateboarding, catching butterflies in bottles, and riding her bike with no hands. When she was 10, her parents moved her, two sisters, a brother, and two poorly behaved dogs to Oregon before she could fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a surfer bum.

She then embarked on her notable academic career where she e...more Cathy Lamb was born in Newport Beach, California. As a child, she mastered the art of skateboarding, catching butterflies in bottles, and riding her bike with no hands. When she was 10, her parents moved her, two sisters, a brother, and two poorly behaved dogs to Oregon before she could fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a surfer bum.

She then embarked on her notable academic career where she earned good grades now and then, spent a great deal of time daydreaming, ran wild with a number of friends, and landed on the newspaper staff in high school. When she saw her byline above an article about people making out in the hallways of the high school, she knew she had found her true calling.

After two years of partying at the University of Oregon, she settled down for the next three years and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, and became a fourth grade teacher. It was difficult for her to become proper and conservative but she threw out her red cowboy boots and persevered. She had no choice. She had to eat, and health insurance is expensive.

She met her husband on a blind date. A mutual friend who was an undercover vice cop busting drug dealers set them up. It was love at third sight.

Teaching children about the Oregon Trail and multiplication facts amused her until she became so gigantically pregnant with twins she looked like a small cow and could barely walk. With a three year old at home, she decided it was time to make a graceful exit and waddle on out. She left school one day and never went back. She likes to think her students missed her.

When Cathy was no longer smothered in diapers and pacifiers, she took a turn onto the hazardous road of freelance writing and wrote almost 200 articles on homes, home décor, people and fashion for a local newspaper. As she is not fashionable and can hardly stand to shop, it was an eye opener for her to find that some women actually do obsess about what to wear. She also learned it would probably be more relaxing to slam a hammer against one’s forehead than engage in a large and costly home remodeling project.

Cathy suffers from, “I Would Rather Play Than Work Disease” which prevents her from getting much work done unless she has a threatening deadline. She likes to hang with family and friends, walk, eat chocolate, camp, travel, and is slightly obsessive about the types of books she reads. She also likes to be left alone a lot so she can hear all the odd characters in her head talk to each other and then transfer that oddness to paper. The characters usually don’t start to talk until 10:00 at night, however, so she is often up ‘til 2:00 in the morning with them. That is her excuse for being cranky.

She adores her children and husband, except when he refuses to take his dirty shoes off and walks on the carpet. She will ski because her children insist, but she secretly doesn’t like it at all. Too cold and she falls all the time.

She is currently working on her next book and isn’t sleeping much.(less)

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“Seasons are like life. Some seasons are better than others. Some have more sun and rainbows. Others have storms and tornadoes. Some have both. You have to accept that, and bring colour and light to the season you're in as best you can, and always look forward to the next season.” — 3 people liked it

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