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.

I love the idea of this book, but the execution didn't work well for me. Each chapter features an anecdote from the author's life, with a focus on the plants that were involved or even just present for the anecdote. I call these "anecdotes" rather than "essays" because they were super short. Many times the anecdote ended abruptly right as I was getting into the flow of listening. This book could be SO impactful if each chapter was fleshed out, but as is, I'm still not sure what I should be feeling after listening to it.

I liked the audiobook narrator: easy to listen to and unobtrusive to the narrative itself.

This is the perfect motivational book for any plant lover! As someone who turned to plants why life got difficult, it's satisfying to hear that many do the same. This is a quick listen, less than 1 hour!

A self reflective memoir told in a uniquely interesting way by correlating life events with plants. Each chapter featured a short story written with beautiful detail that paired perfectly with the cute little illustrations.

I read this alongside listening to the audiobook which was narrated with great inflection and authentic emotion.

There are many books cataloguing the meaning of flowers, but this is not that kind of book. In these pages the meaning of flowers is much more personal. Listening to this audiobook is a bit like flipping through an album of memories in which instead of photographs you find the plants that accompanied specific key episodes in the author's life, who flips through them alongside you, like the petals of a flower - the flowers of the prom, those of her father's funeral, those on the night she first had sex...
The listening experience is very pleasant, both for the little vignettes structure and for the delicacy and self-irony of the author, and for the very pleasant narrating voice. If you come in expecting deep reflections on the connection between people and plants, or teachings from the plant world that can illuminate the path of those who cultivate and care for them, you will be disappointed. But in the end, it is a sweet book, that you read/listen to in what feels like moment, but that will leave you with a melancholic smile that lingers, just like the scent of flowers.

Peculiar Book

Audiobook Review:
You would think from the book’s title that it would be mostly about plants, but unfortunately, you'd be wrong. It is a memoir that draws inspiration from the author's experience of plants, how they remind her of different vignettes in her life. Each chapter takes its title from the name of the plant, and quite often, the plant does not figure in much at all or perhaps just at the end. With the way the author put together this book, it's hard to precisely define what it is or what it is trying to be. Parts of it sound like they are written for children, while other parts are definitely on adult topics, like losing your virginity. The stories for each chapter are typically very short, often cutting off, and honestly, I didn't really see the point of most of them. Frankly, I found this book to be uninteresting and perhaps a little too navel-gazing. The narrator sounded like a young woman in her 20s, which seemed appropriate for parts of the book but not as appropriate for others. This book is written by an older woman reflecting on things that happened earlier in her life, or at least, that’s how it sounds. Perhaps an older-sounding narrator would have worked better. I did receive this as an audiobook to review, but I do wonder if seeing the pictures that go along with the book would help get whatever message the author wants to get across... do so better. Ultimately, I didn't like this audiobook as it felt confused and confusing in its messages.

A cute little biography of someone's life told through plants. Some of it was humourous and good for an hour or so distraction from the world.

Audio. A super cute, little read with not much depth (but definitely some good nuggets of wisdom, especially taking the time to stop and appreciate the little things in life!) for anyone who is a lover of all things flowers/plants.

My Life in Plants. Y'all I really enjoyed this one! This title instantly grabbed my attention. It was a very brief book about this young woman named 'Katie vaz' . She took us through some of the most significant moments of her life, where, she related every emotion to a certain plant and how that plant helped her cope through that emotion. Be it loss, love, heartbreak, shifting places , owning a pet or starting it all over again. This book was about both the aspects (the successes and the failures) , from her childhood to her wedding. I absolutely loved the way how she connected all her anecdotes to a cute plant. She grounded herself through these little plants in her fast-paced world. It was both a journey of discovering herself as well as healing herself from not-so-good past memories. She was a regular girl like any other who was lost when she had to decide what career she wanted to pursue. It was a good story. I listened to this audiobook while doing my laundry and dishes. It gave me a feeling as if I was listening to the story of my long lost friend. It was lovely meeting her through this book. I hope to bump into her some other time for sure.

P. S. How I wished to see the illustrations that are there on a print version of this book.
P. S. S. If you're into plants and gardening I will highly recommend you this book (probably the print version of this audiobook would be the best for you).
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Thank you @katiemarievaz @netgalley and @andrewsmcmeel publishing for gifting me this advanced copy!
This book is going to be published on 1st Sept 20. And you must pick this one up!⁣ 😁
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⁣#mylifeinplants
#netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview #arc #arcreview #arcmail #bookstagram

I listed to My Life in Plants this morning while managing chores and tending to my garden. As Katie Vaz talks about types of plants, she shares her memories of the plant and a particular part of her young life. For those of us who have come to enjoy tending to plants or miss green spaces, Vaz's references to the plants as a way to anchor her memories and thoughts make sense.
I found the audiobook of My Life in Plants relaxing and enjoyable. She recounts her own worries, disappointments, mistakes, regrets and everyday joys and Katie Vaz is relatable. Her slow voice and the honesty with which she talks about Facebook envy and wanting to hide while regrouping during her early career days resonates with me. Hearing about her relationship ups and downs and delayed engagement and simple but joyous wedding had me sharing in her happiness. This is like hearing an introverted friend speak honestly about her life and the plants and flowers she enjoys.

Using plants to help structure a memoir is both clever and sweet. Listening to the audiobook, I missed paging through the accompanying illustrations, but the writing mostly stood on its own. This book could make a good gift for a young adult. It served me as an invitation to consider my memories of plants and the plants that were present and important at different times in my own life.

This was such a sweet little book all about plants and growing up that I really enjoyed! I wish I had known this was a graphic novel before I'd picked out the audiobook because I would have loved to see the illustrations and let them inform my review of the book. I also found myself wishing there was more exposition and explanation of the author's life than ran parallel to the plants she described, but once I found out this book had illustrations I found that wish going away. It was really sweet and I related to a lot of the author's own musings on growing up and starting your own life. The only reason I'm not rating it higher is because I found it kind of forgettable--there wasn't anything the author wrote about that really stood out to me or would stick in my mind for a long time. Overall I liked this book but didn't fall in love with it. I would probably recommend it to a friend but only if they liked plants or graphic novels.

2.5/5 - I chose to listen to this audiobook because I love books about trees and plants. Plus it has the cutest cover! Based on the title, I expected stories centered around plants and flowers. But this is more like little vignettes about different stand-out moments in the author's life in which plants are present. In most circumstances, the plants and flowers are mentioned casually. The stories are entertaining, but I was really hoping for something more centered in nature, where the plants occupy more space.

The audiobook is nice: the chapters are very short, the length is very short, and the narrator has a nice, upbeat delivery of the story. However if I could go back and restart this one, I would want it to be a print copy, because the author is an illustrator and her art style is really wonderful. I think it would be a lot of fun to read the short passages with the illustration that goes along with it. Nothing wrong with the audiobook; I just think the artistry is really lovely.


Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for gifting me an early copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review!

This is nice memoir of brief nostalgic musings with plants as touch points.
I’m betting the print version with the illustrations to anchor the stories would improve upon the audiobook that I listened to.