I found the title of this charmingly illustrated book irresistible, and didn't realize it would be such a quick read until I actually held it in my hands. At first I was distracted by the cartoon-like illustrations, but after several two-page chapters I adjusted to the writing style. Author Katie Vaz has written a memoir based on the plants in her life - a unique structure that provided a personal and engaging journey from child to adult.

She describes plants on a variety of sensory planes. For instance, Vaz describes how the scent of "rosemary plants has become intertwined with various memories of things that seem warm, magical, simple and good from different parts of my life" - pot roasts her dad made, decorating the Christmas tree with her sister when they were kids, or the trees that kept her company while sitting on a park bench in Dessau in her early twenties.

It seems that as I read on, the more perceptive Vaz became about herself. For instance, buying a little end table and putting a couple of plants on it in the kitchen of her apartment - one plant which had somehow survived her sadness and neglect - made her realize that this little corner made her happy. "It was a good reminder that it's up to me to create my own happiness."

As I turned the last page I realized that it only appeared to be a simple book. There were several profound and philosophical concepts Vaz shared through her honest observations about herself. This is a great book to read after an intense novel for a change of pace. This would also make a thoughtful, engaging gift for a friend, even if they don't have an affinity for plants. ( )

So I went on a whole journey with this book! I listened to the audio version, so I didn't get to see the illustrations the author mentions in the back of the book.

At first, I thought the book was fine, but maybe not for me. Maybe I wasn't the target audience. It's pleasant enough, I thought, but doesn't really delve deeply into the experiences she had with plants, people and life lessons. But, I thought as I listened, I really like the chapter on her prom and the one about her grandpa and his tomatoes.

As I continued to listen to the book and her stories on what sounded like a very supportive, happy family, I wondered if there was any conflict the author might mention. As the memoir continued, things started to come together and it became apparent that one of the author’s greatest struggles is living in the moment and enjoying moments as they are.

That’s when it also became clear to me that this memoir is really a love letter to mindfulness.

It’s a sweet little book on the healing power of plants and how they serve as milestones or symbols of family, traditions, people or events.

One quick word on the depth of the memoir: The author mentions she has a tendency to overanalyze. It occurs to me that perhaps not going too deeply into things was a conscious choice. One of experiencing things as they are, without overthinking.

3.5 stars, rounded up to four ( )

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.

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 quotation of my full review originally shared via jorielovesastory.com

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.

Title: 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 Vax
Narrator: Taylor Meskimen
Length: 1 hour, 36 minutes
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

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