I really enjoyed this original and quirky collection of autobiographical stories stimulated by fragrant memories of flowers or plants associated with those stories. Stories of growing up, first loves, going to prom, a funeral and a marriage are beautifully observed - at the heart of each one is a memory of a corsage, bouquet, wreath, potted plant. The account is honest and reflective as she unpicks her youthful self. Her love for her family is paramount. Listening on audiobook felt like the perfect way to ‘read’ this book. I could close my eyes and conjure up pictures of the flowers from the closely observed descriptions. I very much liked the narrator - for me she and the author were as one as she recounted stories with a voice tinged with the emotion of that memory - laughter, self- reflection and sadness. My only reservation was that I did have to get used to different pronunciation of plant names! This is a lovely and original audiobook. With thanks to Netgalley and Andrews Mcmeel Audio

This is a heartwarming book about the plants and flowers that the author had an association with at important times of her life. It is a very interesting book and I enjoyed reading about the different plants, since I am a plant lover and gardener. I also enjoyed reading about the different memories that the author had and how they related to each plant.

I listened to the audiobook version of this title and I enjoyed the narrator's voice and the experience that I had using the netgalley app.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting idea and especially the last chapters where more like I expected.
But the first chapters where just very short stories where the plant did not anything to the stories.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cute and light-hearted audio book. It is less than two hours long and brought a smile to my face several times. The narrator does such a good job that I actually felt like Katie Vas was talking to me.

During the audio, Katie describes her important life events through the thirty-nine different plants/flowers that played a roll in her memory of each event. It was a very creative way to tell a memoir and I think that’s why I liked it so much. I’ve never read or listened to anything else like it!! You don’t have to be a gardener to enjoy this audio!

The author brought back some of my own favorite memories with my Mom that involved her love of plants/flowers. I haven’t thought of those sweet memories in a long time, so I wanted to thank Katie for that❤. A very heart warming audio and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to put a smile on their face!

My Life in Plants is a touching mini memoir by Katie Vaz. Katie walks us through some of the most poignant memories of her life that are associated with various flowers, plants or herbs.

Her associations between a plant and a memory or experience are truly relatable; poinsettias at Christmas, peace lilies at a funeral, mums in the fall, roses for high school proms, and summer gardens full of herbs like rosemary and basil, and more.

As a gardener myself, I loved the descriptions of plants and the associations of plants with feelings and experiences. When I look back at some of the times of my life similar to Katie’s, I see those same plants or flowers. I have never reflected on my past in this way, and it was a refreshing walk down memory lane.

My Life in Plants is a unique, touching and adorable read.

I love listening to memoirs, and My Life in Plants was a unique one that I really enjoyed. Katie Vaz chronicles her life through the plants that she bought or the ones that she received as gifts. Sometimes it's for an important event like a wedding, but other times she just picked up a plant on the weekend. Somehow she told her stories through plants in a very effective way. It made me think about the plants in my life and the role they have played. I enjoy watching them grow and change over time. They can mark new beginnings and mirror personal growth. My Life in Plants was a sweet and moving story that I enjoyed and highly would recommend on audio.

I absolutely loved this book. Plants are my happy place and this book just felt like sunshine on my soul.

This was a short, sweet audiobook about the author’s life through the plants in her past and present life, plus the life lessons she’s learnt. The chapters are named after the different plants she’s enjoyed and her story is told chronologically.
My favourite chapters were cat grass, daisies, pink roses, poinsettia, African violet, crab apple tree, lavender and fiddle head ferns The saddest chapter was Boston Fern, you might need tissues for that one.
Taylor Meskimen’s narrator was perfect, as was her pronunciation of all the different plants! She’s a new-to-me narrator and I could definitely listen to more audiobooks with her narration.
If you enjoy gardening memoirs you’ll enjoy this on audio.

Such a cozy and heartfelt memoir of one woman and the plants she's loved.

My Life in Plants is a different take on a memoir - each chapter is a tale on how a specific plant has impacted Katie's life. As a plant lover myself, I often think about the various flowers and herbs I've raised (and sometimes killed), so I'm familiar with the comfort and excitement they bring into your life. We witness Katie's growth and self-discovery throughout the pages. It was definitley a comfort read for me - comfort listen in fact because I had the pleasure to get the audiobook.

The narration is very well done and as cozy as and nostalgic as the text, but I felt like I was perhaps missing out on the illustrations, which are part of the text version. Perhaps a solution to this is getting both versions of this book. It's perfect for plant lovers and readers looking for something different.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

My Life in Plants // by Katie Vaz // narrated by Taylor Meskimen

I’m a fan of memoirs, especially serious ones that will teach me something, such as those focused on mental health, working abroad, or the medical field. While I was browsing NetGalley though, I came across this and it sounded really cute. It is short at less than 2 hours and I knew I was about to finish up my other audiobook, so why not? It is delightful! It is like a break from the seriousness and a fresh breath of air. I love my other memoirs but this was so fun to listen to!

The narrator has a voice that seems to work for the chapters where the author is young as well as later on when she is older. She has a good rhythm as well that fit the stories perfectly. There are 39 chapters that are very short and each focus on a different plant. Some plants feature more heavily in their segments while others are mention more in passing. But I found it very interesting that so many of her memories are attached to plants and it eventually made me wonder about my own as well, such as eating tomatoes with my mom, collecting cucumbers from her yard with my grandma, and picking strawberries with my dad and friends. I liked how some stories were more serious than others and also how she looked at herself critically, recognizing both the good aspects of her life as well as the areas of herself where she could improve.

Whether you want a slow introduction to memoirs, a change in perspective for your own life, or just a break from more serious reads, I think you should really consider this audiobook! In my Google search for images for my blog post, I also came across the print copy of this book and really liked the illustrations so I’m sure it would be a lovely print book to own as well!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Life In Plants was a fun little read that can be read in less than two hours, or divided up for a daily dose of nature. From wildflowers to green onions to aloe vera to … the author reminisces on the plants that shaped her world and what those memories mean to her, now. This makes me want to keep a journal of my own life in plants, honestly! If you are looking for a lovely little nature memoir, you should try Katie Vaz’s My Life In Plants!

I really enjoyed this audio book. The narrator does a fabulous job and the story itself is so adorable and relatable. If you are a plant lover who enjoys sweet memoirs and stories about plant this is a great book to check out. I also thought this was a very unique way to chart a path through someones life.

Cute idea. Poor execution. It felt too cutesy and nonsensical to make it a valuable piece of literature worth thinking about. There are better books to read out there.

I received a complimentary digital and temporary audiobook copy of “My Life in Plants" direct from the publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

About the Audiobook:

How the story sounded to me as it was being Read: (theatrical or narrative)

This is a spoken narrative version of the story - meaning, Meskimen did not theatrically add-on additional in-line performances with her narration style. Some narrators can lengthen the words themselves, drawing out an emotional conveyor of presence within the context of the storyline however as this was a work of Non-Fiction I approached how it sounded a bit differently than when I listen to fiction. In the absence of those theatrical additions, what made listening to this story as enjoyable as it became for me was the liveliness of Meskimen's performance! She simply glows and smiles throughout the short stories and she makes you want to hear more of Vaz's life!

Regards to Articulation & Performance of the story:

Articulation:

I loved how you can hear every word and narrative portion of this story with a level of clarity where you do not have to second guess the words you've heard. The narrator has a way of drawing you into the snippets of the author's life - of pulling you forward into this curious rabbit hole of where memories are stored through the catalogue of botanical explorations.

Performance:

There were a few moments within the context of the stories presented where I felt the chapters ended too abruptly for me! I dearly ached for 'more' in those moments - to hear more about those snippets of insight into the author's past and perhaps even, have a longer shorter story to listen too therein. Except to say by the conclusion of the audiobook I understood how those sections had to be shorter in order to lead-in to the longer portions which eclipsed more markers of growth and insight into her life where the shorter bits were just hints towards what would be relayed upon lateron.

Notes on the Quality of Sound & the Background Ambiance:

There was nothing in the background to affect your listening experience as the sound quality was wicked brilliant and free of distractions.

Preference after listening to re-Listen or pick up the book in Print?

Hmm, that is a good question this time round! Mostly because I will admit, I will always identify this story with the narrator's voice and the audiobook version of it - there is a part of me who wants to gather a copy of the book in print for not just a keepsake of my journey into "My Life in Plants" but as a lovely companion to that experience because I am very fond of original illustrations included with stories and works of Non-Fiction. They give a special contribution to the story or stories whilst presenting the kind of art which befits the story and/or stories as well. Thereby I'll have to purchase copies of this in both print and audiobook eventually as I will definitely want to read them in tandem in future!

In closing, would I seek out another  Taylor Meskimen audiobook?

I definitely would! I'd love to see what she would do with different characters in fiction (if she narrates Fiction as well as Non-Fiction) as much as I believe I'd enjoy more works of Non-Fiction, too! She has a sweet innocence of presence in her voice and I love listening to her narrate as there is an immediate joyfulness in hearing her narration style.

About "My Life in Plants" the book:

Vaz begins her memoir and reflections when she was going to a pageant as a young girl, noticing how her father had picked wildflowers and the curious differences between her clothes and the clothes of the other children. Her eyes were just opening to the curious differences between her family and others; as it is a notation about who had a more humble budget for shopping and who could walk into any store to purchase something off the shelf. It is a lesson all children learn during childhood - the ways in which we are all part of a different class and how that can stipulate what we have and how we have to choose about what we need. I still remember fondly the talk I had with my Mum about this and she enlightened me with the story about how there will always be those who have more, those who have less and those who have a similar amount of things to us. It was the ways in which society would classify everyone that would be the harder lesson to understand because no one should feel less than anyone else as everyone is equal to everyone.

By mentioning the wildflowers it seemed to serve as the first metaphor about her life - how her clothes reflected her family's status and means, whilst the wildflowers gave a nod towards how sometimes a life lived by humble means holds within it a beautiful beginning which can keep you grounded. It also reflects how wildflowers are any persons flower because they grow in the wild, can be collected on a whim and share a bit of joy with the person to whom they are given. They are not claimed by anyone and they are generally spread by the birds who have a quirky sense about how to carry and drop the seeds which pepper colour onto roadways. At least I used to laugh at the quirkiness of the wildflowers - as the patterns of growth never had a pattern of sense about how and where the flowers would take root, grow strong and give us a rainbow of blooms!

As Vaz readily points out - not every memory is entirely positive, as sometimes our memories can also contain the questionable and less than ideal associations such a how the scent of lilac is a double-bladed sword for her as it has two truths of reference rather than merely an ideal one of joy. Each of her sections re-directs your focus on a different part of her life and a different period of growth therein. You get to meet and greet her family, especially her grandparents and her sister of whom she fondly has included with such regularity as to become a secondary character. You can tell they both share quite a strong bond even if over the years their relationship changed since the one they had in their childhood. Likewise, Vaz owns to the curious way the mind relates its own storage of our memories - how what we fuse one memory with can alter our understanding of that moment and/or redefine how we process memory as a whole.

Each type of plant within this memoir serves as a moment of entrance into the annals of Vaz's memories - owning to a particular time and age of her life wherein the plant itself is the stepping stone and acts a metaphor for the memory (or memories) the plant brings back to mind. It is a clever way to tell a memoir - re-routing us as readers into your life plant by plant, which in of course is also a reflection on the author's personality - per the curiosity of choice of plants and how these plants in particular offered such a wealth of insight into life as it is lived by her and her family.

My Life in Plants is a sensory journey into a woman's own living history. She talks openly about how conversations and life's memories for her are unpacked as soon as she relates a story anchoured to either a plant, a gardening adventure or a food memory which provides a stepping stone into her own past. These snippets of stories not only curate a map into one woman's internal and external experiences but it serves as a guide towards discovering your own living memory by how her stories entice you to cross-relate your own notations to re-examine your life alongside her own.

This is a cute little memoir that starts with a new plant and how that one impacted her life. It hit all parts of her life so far. Made me think of how plants impacted my life.
The narrator did a wonderful job on this one as well!

This book was a really sweet book and was a quick read. The story spins around the author's life with every chapter referenced to a certain plant, which is the best part of it. I loved the way the plants were made a part of each of the events in her life, in highs and lows. happiness and heartbreaks, in new paths and goodbyes. This book felt like a reel playing in my head of the different situations and stages in the life of the author and I very much felt a part of it. It is a truly touching memoir and quite relatable. I really enjoyed it. Also I listened to the audiobook, which was a first for me, and the narrator Taylor Meskimen has this sweet voice to grab your attention to the fullest.
Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for gifting me an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

It has been such an amazing book! I read it without expecting that I'd like it so much! I have never read self-help books, and one of my goals for this year was to read more of them. I do think that My Life in Plants made me be intrigued by these kinds of books.
It was quite short and very easy to read. I listened to the audiobook while sewing, and it was so calming. I didn't expect it to be!
I'd definitely come back for other books written by this author. Mabey this time as paperbacks. I want to see the illustrations.

Thank you #Netgalley and #AndrewsMcMeelAudio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. This was a sweet, short read which brought me back in time. You know how they say to stop and smell the roses...this story is just that. Little stories about everyday plants, flowers in our gardens, even herbs that spark a memory in our lives. Take time to appreciate the moments and people in your life. Thanks for that reminder Katie Vaz.

I just reviewed My Life in Plants by Katie Vaz. #MyLifeinPlants #NetGalley

This was an interesting listen. A short memoir with the author , Katie Vaz, telling bits of her life and relating each story to a plant. While the stories were definitely not riveting, the narrator did a great job and I enjoyed the slow and easy pace. Thanks to NetGalley for the read!

I will ALWAYS be a fan of a thematic memoir, so I really enjoyed this. I've never read something that focused a personal experience around plants, and I think the imagery there was really beautiful. While I liked the audio experience, I think I would recommend this more as a traditional book; based on the narration, I could tell that there were illustrations I was missing by listening to the audio.