Welcome to Litsy!

There isn't really any antagonist in this story, it is just about the main characters life, there isn't really any explict goal that someone is stopping him from achieving. Maybe his dad could be considered an antagonist because the main characters parents got divorced and he doesn't really like his dad.

Don‘t get me wrong, bc this was a pretty good, easy, teenage read. Buuuuut, I grabbed 2 high school books at the same time (this one was on hold for a while!), and what happened was I liked the other one better -review to come :) this was a breezy coming of age story, I just don‘t feel like I‘m missing anything very exciting or new, so 🤷🏽‍♀️

I got this novel in a box of YA books chosen by Literati. I'd never heard of it and the blurb on the back sounded generic, so I wasn't expecting much. Decided to read the prologue to see if it was worth keeping... and then just kept reading. The story and characters hooked me within the first couple of pages. Witty, smart, and funny, the book tackles high school tropes in a unique way that allows readers of any age to connect with the characters.

This book is witty and clever. Norris‘s mom is the coolest kind of #maternal : subtle but affectionate, firm but also on the same page as her son; i.e, she can empathize well. #maycharacters @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@Chelleo I really loved this one, thank you so much for the recommendation!

Starting the audiobook in tandem with my print copy. #BlackLitsy #Blitsy #OwnVoices #ReadDiverseBooks #BIPOCAuthor

Read 2020.10.21 🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Norris has a smart mouth & isn't so smart at knowing when to shut it. This is my 2nd book by Ben Philippe & he captures that aspect of teens perfectly. His new friends do try to help but aren't immune to his snark & it makes for such a realistic conflict. He can't get out of his own head or his own way. When the story doesn't wrap up neatly, the author points out (through Norris) that it shouldn't, b/c that's not how life works. So satisfying!

Norris & his mom move from Montreal to Austin, TX. He‘s NOT happy about it and takes it out in the for, of judging his classmates. To his surprise, some of them become his friends. But when they find out his opinions, will they still want to be his friend?

Twenty-three minutes after landing at the Austin airport, Norris Kaplan could confirm that life in Austin, Texas, really did come with “a unique flavor,” as had been aggressively promised by all his mother‘s tourism pamphlets.

Having lived in Texas for 15 years, and spending a fair bit of time in Austin, I can affirm that this is mostly certainly true.

@ShyBookOwl #FirstLineFridays

Norris is my kind of sarcastic.

Really enjoyed this one. Fun with some feelings thrown in.

#weekendreads

1. The Field Guide to the North American Teenage & The Summer Deal
2. I‘d like to pick neither, but I guess fantasy.
3. The Last Emperox

“It wasn't the happy ending he wanted but, then again, there were no such things as happy endings. Happy endings were artificial things manufactured out of less-than-ideal circumstances. A divorce wasn't the end of family, nor was someone moving away the end of a friendship. These things could be endings, but only if you decided to make them so. Otherwise, things just added up & continued forward, across the map, in new shapes & iterations“ (366).

This was a really good audiobook. Norris Kaplan, the protagonist is hilariously cynical and observant...often to his own detriment. His personality and experiences kept me listening until the very end!

Fun/cute enough. Nice diversion! It had me laughing in the first two minutes. 😂

These....

No, to your average Canadian–Black, French Canadian, no less—Austin TX blew baby chunks. 0% / 01:43 😂

No, he‘s obviously an asshole, Norris corrected. The drunk is just helping it come up to the surface. 62%

80% There was something about kissing someone you knew that quieted the part of your brain that ever felt anxious or small.

Less than two minutes in, I'm already laughing out loud. I think this is going to be a real treat! 😂

Life has been such a rollercoaster lately, y'all. I feel bad for not keeping up with everyone on here, but I'm thinking I might just need to take a break from social for a while. It's been probably the craziest month of my life for so many reasons that I don't have enough room to share, but I'll try to say hi every now and then. 👋

Oh, and this book is really good so far in case y'all were wondering.

Norris Kaplan is a French Black Canadian, also hockey lover, who was born to now divorced Haitian Canadian immigrants and has now been transplanted to..... Austin,TX? Hot, sweaty, Austin ,TX, where he will have to learn how to make his own way through a different way of life. This was hilarious, too hilarious. I could have done with more depth and less Mean Girl commentary. In the end, I did enjoy it and not everything was a happy ending. Pick.

Me: Do I need more books? No.
Also me (to the cashier): “l‘ll take these, please”

A black Québécois moves to Austin, TX in this fun, fish-out-of-water YA novel.

This book delivered almost everything I want in a YA book:
?? Catchy premise. Each chapter starts with field notes.
?? Not too much romance.
?? Has issues, but not heavy like my adult fiction.
?? Some comedy, too.

Other than being disappointed by the cheesiness of the epilogue, this was a hit! 4⭐️

#booked2020 #yapocauthor #botm

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To celebrate the kick-off of the NHL season, I am participating in a readathon this week! #SlapshotRead 🏒 #fredrikbackman #cynthiakadohata #benphilippe #carriesallen

This was a sarcastic, irreverent story of a black French Canadian teenager who is forced to move to Texas - and he‘s not exactly happy about it. I thought the author did a really nice job of showing how Norris became more self aware and realized that maybe he wasn‘t the “nice guy” he thought he was. All in all a good coming of age story.
1st completed book for the #reversereadathon / #readathon

I powered through this audiobook so fast - great narration, funny enough to make me burst out laughing on more than one occasion, and a smart read - Highly recommended 💕

My lone library book plus July‘s issue of BookPage.

Absolutely loved this one!!! Great characters!! I‘ve been the new kid in a school before! Great look at what the new kid goes through

I‘ve been reading this for about 4 months now and it‘s time for me to just move on. It‘s cute. I love the main character‘s sarcasm, I just can‘t get into it. I have the physical copy but thought I would try the digital version. That didn‘t work and since there is another person waiting for it I decided to just return it and give up. Iñ

I hate bailing. ?

Ending my work year by finishing one of our newest books. Norris is a black French Canadian kid who loves hockey. So what is he doing in Texas? This was a fun book about stereotypes and fitting in. Norris is a witty narrator.

1. ⬆️ yes I‘m still reading this...
2. Yard work and hosting Easter dinner
3. Yes, they make a good snack
4. The MC of the current novel I‘m working on is named Lupé Alejandra Suazos-Cardoso, but it‘s getting changed to Gabriella Romero when she goes into witness protection.
5. ??
#friyayintro

This was such a great time, and these authors were so interesting and fun! Listen for great book recs (seriously, I was making notes as they were talking!), the dangers of the platypus, and the continuing impact of Agatha Christie!

EclecticReaders.fireside.fm/61
@EclecticReaders #EclecticReaders @Merethebookgal

The first interview episode of #EclecticSpringBreak recorded at NoVa Teen Book Fest is out today! These authors have very different books out, which led to a fun conversation. We also learned cool stuff is happening in YA and Ben‘s really into Agatha Christie 😂 eclecticreaders.fireside.fm/61

This previous #BOTM addition is available for $1.99 as a #kindledeal

Super cute book about a boy moving to a new country and coming in mid year at HS. Best book dedication I‘ve seen in a while. Favorite quote from the book, “We all mess things up. It‘s what you do with the mess that matters.” I‘ll be sharing that quote with my high school and middle schooler. It‘s a good reminder for myself as well. #Book12of2019

New case for my new paper white. I had an old kindle touch that stopped working , but I love that this has a built in light! So great.
As I‘m breaking up with my phone, having the kindle is a life saver!

Just started tagged book on my new kindle paper white. I love it! Thanks, @ChrisSmithIndy

The goobers are really cramping my style this Morning. Charlotte is insisting on being in my lap and #zeek is being, well, Zeek.

Breakfast is eggs, Morningstar veggie crumbles, and red chile.

Also, Charlotte still doesn‘t have her own # . Any suggestions?

This is a laugh out loud, very entertaining YA rom-com meets fish out of water story filled with snark, cheerleaders, jocks, hockey & Texas heat. Coming from Montreal, Canada, Norris has all sorts of ideas about America & Austin, Texas where his mom has a new job—ideas & observations which he writes down in his journal. Have to be careful when you write such things down... A quick, fun read with all the ups/downs of being the new kid in school.

Ha! Love the Harry Potter reference. Though, I have one Hufflepuff at home who might disagree...

Didn‘t read as much this weekend as I expected but I‘m ready to start another one...

1. #LitsyGoesPostalOG and #LitsyLove sometimes I remember to do other things like #friYAYintro
2. I‘ve recently surprised myself by going to a writing group. It‘s at night which I don‘t normally do and it‘s with you know, people! This in no way means I‘m coming out of my introverted shell.
3. “Dude, I don‘t have time for pothead poetry here,” Norris said.
4. @Cupofjo
#wondrouswednesday

Only 19 pages in but. Norris has me cracking up! A teenager form Quebec, his mom took a job in Texas. The Guidance Counselor didn‘t realize he was bilingual and keeps trying to to talk to him in French. Totally had me thinking of Disociable Me.

Sweet, funny fish out of water story about black Canadian teen Norris‘s awkward relocation to Austin. Norris‘s observations are priceless.

Lots of fun. Snarky teenage boy moves to new town and we witness his awkward settling in period. I laughed out loud twice while reading this, and enjoyed the general humourous tone throughout.

#audiobook #contemporary #ya
The beginning half was fantastic, the second not so much...
It just seemed like the same things kept happening again and again. 🤷

I just realized this was the 1st book I've read this year that was published 2019!

Sidenote, audiobooks are great for me since I'm always doing something else so it never feels like a waste of time or anything if I didn't LOVE the book 🎧 #audiocrocheting #audiocoloring

Living my best life at Silent Book Club!

Return flight to Houston from my hometown of Pittsburgh. Something to distract me from having to leave home.

I knew when I saw the authors dedication page that this was going to be a funny book and it certainly was. I loved how the book was broken up with Norris description of each event or person and he felt about them. Can't wait to see what the author writes next! I had many laugh out loud moments!