A review by theshaggyshepherd
My Life in Plants: Flowers I've Loved, Herbs I've Grown, and Houseplants I've Killed on the Way to Finding Myself by Katie Vaz

4.0

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.