My Life in Plants

I really enjoyed this book. It was the most heartwarming book I've read all year. I also loved how honest the author was about her experiences and her own shortcomings which made it really easy to relate to her experiences and find pieces of myself in her lines. As a fellow plant enthusiast I am well aware about how a simple plant can have deep meanings in one's life.Each chapter was beautifuly associated with a specific plant, making me reflect on my own experiences.
The drawings complemented each chapter very well. Even though the subject matter got really sad from time to time, the book never felt depressing. Overall, I'm really happy that I picked up this book.


This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Thirty-nine plants, thirty-nine life stories from childhood to authors wedding day. Wisdom in everyone od them. Plants are also powerful symbols.

I also loved illustrations and I highly recommend the book.

This was very cute, fun, and interesting. It's neat to see what plants are important to someone else and compare those to what plants stand out to me. This is definitely a good one to have on hand and flip through whenever you need a little brain break.

This is such a fun and cute read!! The cover is absolutely stunning and finding out that the entire book is filled with stunning drawing made me so happy!! I absolutely loved this book! And now I feel like buying a whole lot of plants!

This is such an adorable book! Katie's drawings are so cute and her way of intertwining her life with plants resonates a lot with me. Plants and pets are a big part of my life so I could easily put myself into her stories and found them very heartfelt. This was a sweet, laid back memoir that was somehow nostalgic to me whether it be because of her drawings or her stories, either way I really enjoyed this one.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Great short stories about how each plant has touched the author's life. Really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the glimpses into the author’s life and the illustrations fit beautifully. A sweet book to curl up with and savor.

This was a really cute quick read.

All the stories were fleshed out really well, and for being such a short book I really feel like I got a sneak peak into the author's life.

The illustrations were fantastic, they truly brought the story to life

The only reason this isn't getting five stars is because of how short is it, but I have no problems or complaints with this book at all

CW: Death of a pet

My Life in Plants is a quick and wholly pleasant look at snapshots of the author's life, some things she's learned, and the plants that served as part of her life's backdrop. The illustrations featured beside each chapter added to the experience by matching the warmly introspective tone.

Sometimes it felt like I had written this book, as the stories and musings were so familiar and relatable, especially those related to her cat Spanky. It was comforting to read and reminded me I am not alone. It also caused me to reflect on the plants that have played a part in my own life.

Author Katie Vaz is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Endicott, New York. She designs her own line of greeting cards, prints and other stationery products. She has authored other books such as 'The Escape Manual for Introverts' and 'Make Yourself Cozy'.

My Life in Plants is author Katie Vaz's very warm, humorous and poignant memoir where she looks back at different stages of her life. The book is full of beautiful illustrations from Katie's early days till her life in her thirties. Each chapter is a flower story of love and growing up.

She illustrated each of the chapters so beautifully, the colours of the flowers that clearly shaped her life and the way she remembers it were really warm. I really really enjoyed her story, but more importantly I couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the illustrations! Such a cute little book. The perfect read on a sunny day when you just want to enjoy your surroundings with a small book you can finish quick. Definitely worth spending time on.

Rating: 3.8

Recommend: THIS BOOK HAS ILLUSTRATIONS. And it has deliciously creamy pages! If you love plants, cats, and charming stories scattered with beautiful, colorful illustrations. then you will love reading this book. Especially recommended for beginner readers.

My Life In Plants tells the story of Katie Vaz - starting with tales from her vibrant childhood and continuing through various events in her life. I picked this book up (in the hypothetical sense since I found it on Netgalley :V) simply because of it's cover and title. It promised a reading experience which I had last felt when seeing the gorgeous illustrations of Nick Sharratt in the countless Jacqueline Wilson novels I read in childhood.

Though not a work of literary fiction, the artwork was definitely on par. Paired with the creamy patterned pages, I think it will be a joy to read as a hardcover!

I had no idea who Katie Vaz was before stumbling across this book. But after reading her stories, the author somehow feels... relatable? At least to an extent. Being a passionate plant lover with a huge soft spot for cats (and plans for graduate study), I think her experiences touched me more than I expected. There were some hints of melancholy which struck surprisingly strong.

The only reason I'm saving the 4+ star rating on this however, is because I wish there were a few more words! If the stories were lengthened into a little bigger chapters instead, it would have been an absolutely perfect read.

My Life in Plants is literally what it sounds like: short vignettes centered around a new plant from the author’s life. From rosemary and basil to lavender and peace lily, the author paints her life in plants in this charming book. Each story centers a plant, but also shows the personal growth of the author as she takes us on her journey from childhood to college and beyond. I related to a number of these sweet stories, but I found a few to be a bit repetitive and redundant. The illustrations were amazing, though, and were probably my favorite part of this book.

Read this if you’re looking for a quick read or are struggling to get out of a reading slump. I probably could have finished this book in a day, but I actually really enjoyed savoring the stories.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel and NetGalley for access to this title.

5 Stars ( I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I read the author’s previous work a guide to introvert’s; which was very funny and I loved it; and this book did not disappoint. Before each story is an illustration relating what the plant or flower is the focus of the story. The stories go chronologically through the author’s life, her close relationship with her family, various relationships, grad school in Europe, adopting a cat, deaths and many other life events. The art is simple but extremely cute and colourful and I highly recommend this book as a quick entertaining read.