This book was very interesting for a plant lover like myself. I'm not a huge nonfiction person but I saw the plants and knew it was for me!

Very informative book. Full of a lot of useful information. This book will also be very useful for future reference

This was a really great book and I learned so much about the history of houseplants that I had no idea about. As a houseplant collector (ahem* hoarder...) I really enjoyed this book and will be buying a copy for my shelves!

I got both the audiobook and the ebook from netgalley because I thought the pictures would be valuable. The narrator was great. Nonfiction doesn't usually keep my attention for long but this book was quick-paced and interesting. When I referenced the ebook copy to see if I did miss anything with the pictures, I was a little disappointed. I guess I had hoped for more illustrations. I will still strongly recommend this book. It was engaging and applicable.

⭐⭐⭐⭐•5/5

I went into this book knowing nothing about plants but the basics and learned a lot. I liked that it didn't read like a textbook, which I appreciated. I think it would be perfect for those who are just starting and those who have been at it for a while. I loved learning the history of the plants and how we began to collect them. I really can't wait to read more from Molly Williams,

Thank you Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read and review this

I can honestly say I've never really thought about the history of the house plant, but this was fascinating and so much fun to listen to! It's such a great concept and Molly Williams does a wonderful job of combining the history with information and tips on plant care. I wouldn't have minded even more on the history side (it's about half and half), but that's partly because I travel a lot and can't own many plants or they'd die. I have one cactus and I'm honestly amazed every time I come home after months away and it's still alive. I'll admit I zoned out a bit when she was going over care for all the different kinds of plants, but I do think this would make a great reference book. And I definitely made a note whenever she mentioned a plant that would be good for someone who travels or often forgets to water their plants!

Williams discusses everything from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to technological advancements that allowed transport of plants on ships to Europe from overseas in the 19th century to what plants were commonly used in shopping malls in the 1980s, and she does it all in an interesting and engaging way. I listened to the audiobook in one sitting on a roadtrip and never got bored, and then proceeded to bring it up multiple times with the people I was visiting. I also have a copy of the ebook and it's full of adorable illustrations throughout.

This book would make a great gift for anyone who enjoys house plants, history, or even just interesting facts. I already have several people in mind who I know would love it and I'm looking forward to getting a physical copy myself!

An interesting and funny read about common and rare house plants that also had:
• Beautiful illustrations
• Accessible language
• Bite-sized chunks of information
• Fun facts about world history as well, not only plants!
• Tips on how to do proper research when getting new plants and how to take care of them
• Great projects at the end of each chapter

I learned a lot of new things about aspects of history I never heard of and even about some plants I already own.

This book will be really useful to have on hand and come back to whenever needed.

I think this would be a great read regardless of whether you already have experience in taking care of houseplants or are someone who is just getting started.

Fascinating book, drawing from history the impetus for today's garden. I really enjoyed my trip through the various decades of history from 100,000 -3000BC, through Han Dynasty, the middle ages to House Plants of the modern world and everything in between. A fun book to read which has a lot of up to date information on on potted plants. Great for anyone who is interested in a bit of plant development and domestication. Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC

This is a really amazing book, which is all about houseplants which come from all parts of the world. The author, who is also the narrator of the audiobook, wonderfully described each plant in a pleasant voice, in perfect detail, and she explained how to care for each plant.

I loved both the audiobook and the ebook, as both were fantastic, and were full of so much interesting knowledge and information, which have really helped me on my gardening journey. The ebook is full of beautiful images, which are really stunning.

This book really opened up my eyes more to the beauty of plants, and how to care for them. Although I mainly use my intuition to care for plants, it is also useful for me to find out more scientific knowledge to help me to look after my plants. This book gave me that, and more. I am always eager to learn new things to help me on my quest to take great care of the plants of this world. I am so amazed by plants, and their stunningly mesmerising energy, beauty and light, and every day I am so thankful to learn more about them, and experience time with them, which is a true gift and a wonderful blessing.

I was really surprised at how awesome this book is, and I highly recommend it to beginners, or even to those of you with a green thumb who already have years of knowledge behind you. Everyone should read this book with a cup of herbal tea in their hands, and escape to the plant kingdom with pleasure and joy.

Many thanks to the author/narrator, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I loved this book!

I am at my core a history nerd, and diving into the deep history of something I care for really gets me going.

From the hanging gardens of Babylon to Cleopatra, Victorian Terrariums, and 70s macrame, I'm into it.

I've grown up with plants in the home, but I like many people during the pandemic started taking a more keen interest in my photosynthetic house makes.

I've successfully propagated my Philodendrons a few times and have gotten my rubber tree and island Fir to thrive indoors. I look forward to continuing adding to my collection, and I really loved the advise this book gave me.

I especially enjoyed the "Tips for Ethical Plant Buying" section. Its so important to be educated, and understand where and how things are sourced.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

🌿🪴🌿🪴🌿🪴

I am not a crazy plant lady I think to myself as I scour Etsy for heirloom vegetable seeds. Indeed, I am not a succulent collector. (But we may be running out of room for tropical plants.) But I know if a lovely potted beast were bestowed upon me I wouldn't be able to say no. And thus, when I came across this book I knew I had to take a look.

One part plant guide, one part history book, Taming the Potted Beast is a fun read, though not particularly thorough with either subject. You're taken down a brief history of the world with a focus on houseplants.

I do think there was a missed opportunity in the plant guide sections. While the cover art is cute and colorful, the inside is not. There are illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, but not by the actual plant descriptions. Though the descriptions are decent enough, a picture or illustration of the plants would have just made it pop.

While it may be unrealistic for every nonfiction book to come with footnotes and citations, I do think this one could have benefited from it. The scope of this book is quite large and Williams states in the introduction that she "began [her] adventure into the depths of houseplant history" in 2020. While many people may have found themselves with ample time on their hands during lockdown, I highly doubt this was enough time for Williams to become an expert scholar in every time period referenced in the book. I suppose this isn't a huge issue for most people, but I definitely wouldn't cite this in a paper. There is a Further Reading section, so perhaps those are her sources?

Despite my complaints, it is a cute book and would make a nice gift for an aspiring plant parent.

Taming the Potted Beast by Molly Williams comes out September 13, 2022. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very cool book! We have a large houseplant book collection at my library but it needs to be refreshed. This was a solid on-trend title that will appeal to our readers.

This is a great microhistory of domesticated plants. The author looks like the history of human interaction with cultivating plants and pulls out a few plants as examples. Each section also had tips about modern plants and plant care.

Well written with beautiful illustrations and fun to read. A great gift for anyone who wants to learn more about plants or loves a bit of history about their favorite hobby. I appreciated that the author avoided a Euro-centric history - going to many different countries to see how different cultures have impacted our modern interactions with plants.

First, I love the concept of the book! As a history lover, this book was right up my alley. I’ve been interested in reading up on the history of gardening and plants for a while and this book was the perfect introduction to the topic!

The chapters are organized simply and logically; with the earliest period first to the current pre/post-pandemic era last. Each chapter flows perfectly into the next, allowing for a seamless read.

While each chapter focuses on a specific era in history; you don’t get bogged down with minute details. You don’t feel like you’re reading a stodgy history textbook. She touches on the major points of each historical era and then rolls right into how that impacted and affected humans’ love/hate relationship with plants at the time. It could’ve been very easy for the author to overdo it. Likewise, on the flip side, a lack of historical detail would’ve felt like a letdown. Molly strikes the perfect balance of historical detail and fun houseplant facts.

Although this is primarily a historical look at houseplants, it also serves as a handy reference guide for houseplant lovers. At the end of each chapter, Molly includes helpful houseplant care tips and great suggestions for new houseplants to check out. Each of these sections is themed and directly relates to the chapter that precedes it. There is also a fantastic reference section at the end, in which she provides some great titles to check out if you want to further your historical botanical knowledge.

Lastly, the book does touch on an often overlooked but very important fact: Not all of the famous “plant hunters” that have been revered over the years are truly worthy of our admiration. There has been a long (and sad) tradition of ignoring the fact that the history of something doesn’t begin when some white British man discovers it. Plant hunters are no exception. Many of these famous explorers were cruel to the indigenous communities they stole these plants from. We can’t truly understand the history of something if we fail to acknowledge this. Molly points this out, particularly in her chapter about Christopher Columbus, which I was glad to see included.

If you are a history buff you will love this book. Are you more into houseplants and gardening? You’ll love this book as well! Need a helpful book to refer back to when dealing with houseplant problems? You need this one on your shelf! This book is the perfect mix of reference guide, history book and quirky houseplant facts. The audience for this book will be wide and varied, as there’s a little something for all gardening and houseplant lovers. I highly recommend adding it to your shelf or giving it as a gift to the gardening bookworm in your life.

“From the hanging gardens of Babylon to that fiddle-leaf fig in your living room, houseplants have been humanity’s companions for a millennia. Taming the Potted Beast explores the history of our air-purifying friends with an entertaining narrative of the peculiar, often dramatic story of the cultivation and domestication of the not-so-humble houseplant.”

This book reminding me quite a bit of both Bill Bryson and Mary Roach. Lots of history and lore and current events make up this House Plant origin story.

It was a little disjointed, and without Bryson’s droll humour, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the trials, travels, and tribulations of the not-so-lowly houseplant.

6/10

Big thanks to NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing and Audio for this ARC.

An interesting book that tackles the history of houseplants as well as providing instructions on how to grow and care for your plants,
I would have preferred a bit more color in the book myself

Taming the Potted Beast provides an illuminating peek into the history of house plants, tips, and tricks! What a perfect book for the time we're in. I found this fascinating and really fun to read through. At about the halfway point, I was approved for the audio arc, so my full review will go up there when I finish. So far, a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and interesting mix of history and plants. It would appeal to readers interested in either one of these topics and they would not feel overwhelmed by the other topic. As far as I can tell, the Titanic seeds story was just an April Fool's joke which makes me question other aspects of the book's research.

An entertaining history of how we came to have plants inside the house, in pots or vases and even bowls. As someone who has never been in a house where there aren't at least cacti inside and having several family members that are enthusiastic gardening aficionados, I couldn't resist the pull of curiosity leading me to pick up this book.

If you're an enthusiastic plant parent and a history buff, this book was literally written for you! I love my houseplants (thanks, lockdown!) and I found this book extremely interesting! This book helped me find a little more appreciation for my favorite plants that bring me joy daily. Maybe now I'll actually remember to water them more consistently....