Discover Top 100 Audiobooks in Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

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Title: Bringing Tuscany Home

Subtitle: Sensuous Style from the Heart of Italy

Author: Frances Mayes, Edward Mayes

Narrator: Frances Mayes

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-29-04

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

Enjoy the abundant flavors and easy simplicity of the Tuscan kithcen with details on everything from olive oil and vin santo to pici and gnocchi.

Members Reviews:

Gorgeous!

The pictures! The prose! The advice!!! I am in love with this book. It is a quick trip to my happy place.

I absolutely adore the writings of Frances Mayes and her ...

I absolutely adore the writings of Frances Mayes and her descriptions of decorating, color, and food inspire me to new heights

Ok, not what I was looking for

A lot more vacation and family stories , not much in the way of decorating/ pictures and ideas.

This book made my day : ) Thank you ann_arbor_books : )

I received this book today and I was very delighted to see how the seller packaged it very nicely and carefully. I have not started reading the book but I already browsed the pages. The pictures are very beautiful and inspiring. I am sure I will enjoy and love this book. Thank you so much seller!! I am very happy I bought this book from you. More power to you!!!

Liked it

I love Frances Mayes writing. I love decorating books with lots of visual ideas. This is not a picture book for that purpose. It will give you some ideas but it mainly is for reading her voice and the pictures are a bonus. If you like her other books you will like this too.

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Title: The Way of the Traveler

Subtitle: Making Every Trip a Journey of Self-Discovery

Author: Joseph Dispenza

Narrator: Gabrielle de Cuir, Stefan Rudnicki, Don Schlossman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-19-04

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

Millions of people each year take trips. But how many are able to make each trip a journey of personal growth? The Way of the Traveler is the book to help people make the most of every trip. It's about learning to make the time before, during, and after travel an enriching experience; drawing on personal virtues to help you through potentially stressful encounters; and setting goals to ensure that even the most mundane two-day business trip brings new insights. The Way of the Traveler helps the listener learn how to make every travel experience more meaningful and rewarding, structured as a series of short reflections combined with practical, thought-provoking activities. Issues considered, among others, include: The Call to Journey, The Decision to Go, Spiritual and Material Provisions, Gifts, Being Present, Collecting Mementos, The Return, Displaying the Treasures, and The Lesson.

©1999 Avalon Travel Publishing; (P)2001 Audio Literature

Critic Reviews:

"If you're interested in exploring the Zen aspects of common experience, you'll enjoy this relaxing and thought-provoking antidote to today's stressful travel." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Too much zen, not enough travel

I was disappointed by this download. I was annoyed at the outset by the background music that made the reading of the title and opening information hard to hear. I love travel and had high hopes for enjoying this audiobook, but I agree with the other reviewer; it's a bunch of New Age babble ("every journey is an inner journey"). In place of listening to this, I'd recommend reading Alain de Botton's "The Art of Travel."

The Way of the Traveler

This book is not worth listening to. It is new age babble and full of mostly common sense. Don't bother.

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Title: Never a City So Real

Subtitle: A Walk in Chicago

Author: Alex Kotlowitz

Narrator: Scott Brick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-30-04

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

Chicago is one of America's most iconic, historic, and fascinating cities. For Alex Kotlowitz, an accidental Chicagoan, it is the perfect perch from which to peer into America's heart. Chicago is a stew of contradictions: coarse yet gentle, idealistic yet restrained, grappling with its promise, alternately sure and unsure of itself. Not so much a tour of a place as a tour of its soul, Never a City So Real introduces listeners to some of the city's most interesting, if not always celebrated people.

©2004 Alex Kotlowitz; (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Members Reviews:

A Walk in Chicago: Never a City So Real

A Walk in Chicago: Never a City So Real

by Alex Kotlowitz

Crown Journeys, Crown: New York 2004 159 pp. Hardcover

The "Big Onion" is better than the "Big Apple" in many ways, and Alex Kotlowitz, a former New Yorker who has made Chicago his home for over twenty years, sets out to prove how great and diverse his adopted city really is. As he writes in his introduction, "Chicago is a place of passion and hustle...a place eternally in transition, always finding yet another way to think of itself, a city never satisfied."

But this is not the Chicago of the Art Institute, of Michigan Avenue, of Water Tower Place, or the Magnificent Mile. This is the Chicago of the South Side housing projects, the South East's closed steel mills, of Division Street and the 26th Street Criminal Court. It is the Chicago of the resilient and dedicated people who make their own neighborhoods places that come to life with positive energy and social change.

In Kotlowitz's book you meet "Oil Can Eddie," AKA, Ed Sadlowski, the retired steelworker who climbed the ranks of union leadership and "...who loves his city's opera, its museums, and its baseball teams..." You read about how this steelworker went from the steel furnace to the cover of Time Magazine, and how the union that he organized created a better life for its workers, and how that working life is now in peril. The 64-year old Sadlowski takes Kotlowitz on a city tour in his beat-up "Crown Vic" to places off the tourist map, places like Pinkerton's gravesite and the Calumet Riverfront where the strikers once clashed with police.

You get to lunch at Manny's Jewish Deli just south of the Loop, the hangout for political bosses and pit stop for every major politician who swings through Chicago. Then it's off to Edna's soul food restaurant with his two social worker friends, Millie and Brenda. As they sit down to eat, we get to overhear their conversation as if we were sitting in the next booth. This lets the reader eavesdrop on some of the problems that plague this city, from gangs in public housing to unwed teenage mothers. But in Kotlowitz's hands, the city is brought to life through the eyes of Millie and Brenda.

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Title: A Sentimental Journey Through France And Italy

Author: Laurence Sterne

Narrator: Walter Covell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-08-04

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

Sterne did not live to complete the part on Italy. He called it a "sentimental" journey because the point of travel was not to see sights or visit art collections, but to make meaningful contact with people. Yorick succeeds, but in every adventure, his ego or inappropriate desires and impulses get in the way of "sentimental commerce." The result is a light-hearted comedy of moral sentiments. Abroad Sterne became the "high priest of sentimentalism," and as such had a profound impact upon continental letters in the second half of the 18th century.

Members Reviews:

Bad Production

You can't blame the author for this poor production of Sentimental Journey. The book itself is fragmentary, but for some reason, during production, someone decided to rearrange much of the text. In addition to liberties with the arrangement, the producer repeats sections. The result is nothing like the text. I do not recommend this recording.

For people who admire Lawrence Stearne

If you could sum up A Sentimental Journey Through France And Italy in three words, what would they be?

Stearne has written an irony driven narrative. It is witty and it is fun to read.

Utter nonsense

This is the worst book I've read in years. It's comprised entirely of disconnected episodes of only the faintest interest. My review of two stars is for the reader - the author deserved zero for this tripe.

Ruined by American accent

Was very pleased when I discoved this only to be as equally disappointed upon discovering it narrated with an American accent. To have the part of a 18th century Englishman played by a chap from Rhode Island is just idiotic. Beyond that he reads Sterne's light and playful prose in lifeless monotone adding insult to injury.

shame on you

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Title: City of the Soul

Subtitle: A Walk in Rome

Author: William Murray

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-25-04

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

The Coloseum, Villa Borghese, the Piazza di Spagna, the Trevi Fountain, and the Capuchin Church of Santa Maria della Concezione whose macabre crypt had impressed the likes of Mark Twain and Marquis de Sade; these are just some of the landmarks William Murray points out on his walking tour of Rome. Having grown up in the city, Murray makes for an expert (and engaging) tour guide who captures Rome's sights, sounds, and flavors, while also revealing its mythologized history and folklore, stories only a longtime resident would know.

©2003 William Murray; (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"Like a nice walk, Murray's work is leisurely yet not too long, inspiring daydreams of zooming around town on a Vespa in an espresso-induced state of ecstasy." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Fun listen before heading to Rome

I bought this in preparation for a trip to Rome but didn't have time to listen to it before or during my stay. I listened to the book shortly after I returned from Rome. It was still fun to listen to the author's thoughts on places I had recently visited but I wish I had listened to it before going to Rome. The book is short and very personal. Not a replacement for a good history or guidebook but a great addition to those sources.

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Title: City of the Soul

Subtitle: A Walk in Rome

Author: William Murray

Narrator: William Murray

Format: Abridged

Length: 1 hr and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-24-04

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

Growing up in Rome and spending much of his life in the city, William Murray is an expert guide as he takes us on an intimate walking tour of some of Rome's most glorious achievements, illuminating the history and the mythology that define the city. Murray leads us through the centro, the city's historic downtown center. He writes about the Villa Borghese, the Piazza di Spagna, and the Trevi Fountain and describes such singular attractions as the Capuchin Church of Santa Maria della Concezione, whose macabre crypt has impressed visitors from Mark Twain to the Marquis de Sade.

As he walks, he reveals stories that only a longtime resident would know, capturing the sights, sounds, and flavors that make Rome a combination of the deep past and the ever-sensual present.

Critic Reviews:

"Like a nice walk, Murray's work is leisurely yet not too long, inspiring daydreams of zooming around town on a Vespa in an espresso-induced state of ecstasy." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Pictures would have made it 5 stars!

Pictures about Rome are missing from this wonderful treasure of a book by prolific author, William Murray. He was half-Italian on his mother's side. Her family was from Rome, Italy with family ties still there. His maternal aunts and grandmother are interred in Rome. He has titled the book "City of the Soul" with good reason because it really is wonderfully rich city of life,vibrancy, history, and romance. He goes into personal details about his heterosexual romances with women and his adventures in Rome. Torn between his love of Rome and being an American too, he visits regularly and writes about walking the streets of Rome, past, present, and future. Rome has changed over the years. No longer is it the city where everybody remembers the famed Roman Empire, Rome is the capital of the Catholic Church empire now. Roman history is past. Today's history in Rome is still as fascinating. Rome is still trying to find itself in a world where Rome is a capital but one of many like Paris, Berlin, New York, London. In our world today, Rome is a major city and tourist attraction for Catholic pilgrims, Italianphiles, tourists, artists, etc. who come to marble at the architecture, shop at the finest fashions from Milan, see the cathedrals, stop at the majestic fountains, etc. Of course, it would have been nice to see pictures. It would make those of us who haven't been to Rome understand the desire more and more to see. Words say so much but pictures are so much better.

Five Stars

Great personal walk and anticipate the reality

Five Stars

Still, despite the passage of years, the warmest and most honest portrayal of this so-complex city.

Not Much Soul Here

Before you read on, perhaps you should know where I'm coming from: I've spent a great deal of time in Rome and Sicily every year since 1994. William Murray's little book about Rome is part of Crown's Journeys series. It's worth perhaps a quick hour's read by someone who has never been to or read anything about Rome; i.e., if you know absolutely nothing about the Vestal Virgins, you'll find a very brief but informative paragraph about them. Tourists will not find the book helpful. Although the book has a 2003 imprint, there are many indications that the chapters are reprints.

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Title: Venicewalks

Author: Chas Carner, Alessandro Giannatasio

Narrator: Maria Tucci

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-06-04

Publisher: Sound Travel

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

These four intimate walking tours can take as little as two hours or as long as a morning or afternoon, depending on whether you stop at shops, museums, or cafes which are pointed out along the way. You can also listen to the tapes before you leave to help you plan your day in Venice and they will be an enjoyable reminder for you when you return.

Members Reviews:

I only wish there were more

Any additional comments?

I did two of the four walks and listened to the others just because I loved Maria Tucci's voice. These walks are EXTRAORDINARY. They're dense with information and following them was like going on a magical scavenger hunt.

As others have mentioned, these are old recordings so it would be nice if there was a track list with locations. But honestly, I didn't find them hard to follow at all. I didn't even have a map with me. I listened to them using my audible app on my phone and the "30 sec" rewind feature was VERY helpful since I had to back up a few times and pause frequently as I got from one location to the next. But I never got lost and I really enjoyed being able to move at my own pace.

There's also something a little poignant about the fact that the recordings are so old. None of the landmarks or monuments or churches have changed, but some of the restaurants or shops Maria points out along the way are long gone. That said, I felt like I was discovering secrets at every stepa madonetta on a street corner, a beautifully carved door with a mysterious eye at its center. Even in the busiest places like San Marco, I felt like the guides and experts were giving me a private tour. I absolutely adored these walks and I only wish there were more.

Enjoyable way to be guided through the city.

We thoroughly enjoyed being guided through the city with this guide. It was created for tapes and thus is not indexed and lacks the maps that should be downloadable, but the excellent spoken instructions and simple start point (all four walks start at the Piazza San Marco - very easy to find) allowed us to follow them easily. I even managed to start one in the middle with a little perserverance.

It would be much better if indexed and with maps so that one could pick a site and listen about that - skipping places that you don't want. However, the reader is engaging and the stories are interesting. Worth the inexpensive price.

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Title: Florencewalks

Author: Anne Holler

Narrator: Maria Tucci

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-06-04

Publisher: Sound Travel

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

These four intimate walking tours can take as little as two hours or as long as a morning or afternoon, depending on whether you stop at shops, museums, or cafes which are pointed out along the way. You can also listen to the tapes before you leave to help you plan your day in Florence and they will be an enjoyable reminder for you when you return.

Members Reviews:

Worthless in Florence

For this audio to be beneficial, two improvements must be made. 1) the author refers countless times to the map (not provided and should be), marked with points of interest and directions and 2) the audio should be broken into [tracks] of famous sites so that you can locate what you are seeing. Neither one is provided. The directions are impossible to follow without the map (which they provide to their cassette buyers) and it is one large file with no markers and no way of finding the point of interest that you want to visit. Terribly disappointing and useless.

Disappointing, dated and needs maps

After enjoying Venicewalks, I was very disappointed with this one. Stories were not as interesting and seemed self serving to the author's interests, but I couldn't listen to all of it due to very poor location directions. Without the maps (which are refferred to constantly), I couldn't even find two of the starting locations, and got lost on one of the other walks. I am quite determined and wasted an hour retracing steps and skipping ahead - since it is obvious that some stores present when written no longer exist. The previous reviewers comments hit the mark regarding the need for indexing.

Don't waste your time with this. It may be worthwhile on tape - with the maps - but not on Audible.

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Title: Londonwalks

Author: Anton Powell

Narrator: Jean Marsh

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-06-04

Publisher: Sound Travel

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

These four intimate walking tours can take as little as two hours or as long as a morning or afternoon, depending on whether you stop at shops, museums, or cafes which are pointed out along the way. You can also listen to the tapes before you leave to help you plan your day in London and they will be an enjoyable reminder for you when you return.

Critic Reviews:

"As walking guides, these [audiobooks] offer a nicely organized, historically rich look at places outside the established tourist haunts....Recommended for those wanting to explore London's less touristy environs." (Library Journal)

"Directions are clear, and guide Jean Marsh's delivery is friendly, informed and charmingly British. These programs are well worth your listening attention, if not your walking shoes." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Nice Walking Tour of London

I did the fist walking tour which starts at Embankment Tube Station near Trafalgar Square on the Thames and goes around the Strand and up through Covent Garden and I found it fascinating. Tons of little things I would never had noticed along with lots of history and hidden alleys to duck into and such. A lovely hour and half stoll. I walk fast so it could take you a little longer. And bring your camera to take pictures. Lots to see and well worth your time.

VERY DATED

As someone who lives and works in London I found it very dated in attitude and fact. Some areas around the City (where many buildings and pubs go back centuries) have visually changed a lot over the last 8 years with many modern visual landmark buildings.

For anyone coming to London with the time to spare in advance I would recommend the Peter Ackroyd's books on the history of London which although covering many centuries of history do give a good insight into the names and characters of many areas of central London today.

Londonwalks

Fabulous! We have been to London 12 times and this guide was one of the best experiences we have had. Only criticism is that it needs a map and perhaps a time guide for the tours. Interesting and well worth getting. After 25 years only a few spots were changed.

great

Enjoyed every minute of each of the walks we did. THE only way to do any tour now is via an iPod & one of these type tours.

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Title: The Cruelest Miles

Subtitle: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic

Author: Gay Salisbury, Laney Salisbury

Narrator: Margot Dionne

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-27-03

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 32 votes

Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues

Publisher's Summary:

The port was icebound and the nearest railhead was almost 700 miles away across mountains, rivers, and the treacherous ice of Norton Sound. A blizzard was brewing, and airplanes, in 1925, could not fly in such conditions. Only the dogs could do it. A relay was set up, and the drivers, many of them Native Alaskans, set off into the night at 60 below zero, often trusting their lead dogs to find the trail under feet of driven snow. The legendary heroism and endurance of the men and dogs in the Serum Run need no enhancement. Here, for the first time, their story is told in full.

Critic Reviews:

"This is an elegantly written book, inspiring tremendous respect for the hardy mushers and their canine partners." (Publishers Weekly)

"The Salisburys have written an amazing story of endurance and courage." (Booklist)

"Margot Dionne delivers this mind-numbing experience in a calm voice, allowing the words to convey the terror and agony that characterized the journey." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Read This Book!

"The Cruelest Miles" is a remarkable book about the human spirit and the bond between animals and their human companions. Highly recommended for anyone who loves dogs or stories of adventure and overcoming adversity. Very entertaining and extremely engaging.

Just a Story...

I enjoyed this book, truly did, but up to a point. The story is good and has to be told. Certainly the epidemic was terrible and the actions of the people were very courageous, with lots of sacrifices made. And I even loved the way bonds were formed between man and dog. However, this was just an historical narration. There were no interactions between the people involved, just a "person telling a story." When I read or listen to a book, I like to get into the characters involved, to feel what they are feeling, to feel the excitement or anger, or explore other emotions. Sadly this book is lacking in that area. The narrator's voice was clear and concise, but lacking in emotion. If you enjoy this type of narration, then you will very likely enjoy this book. But for me personally, I found my mind wandering at times, and can only give it a 3.

just enough

I love stories about the human spirit, and people who rise to meet the most difficult challenges. The Cruelest Miles is such a story. You find yourself agonizing over the terrible disease raging through Nome, and cheering heartily for the brave men fighting to stop it. It has a good balance of Alaska lore and the day-by-day account of the race against the epidemic. The narrator was very pleasant, never getting overly dramatic. It is beyond me why people would choose to live there, but their self-sacrifice and spirit of co-operation are inspiring. There is also an unabridged version of this book, but 5+ hours of bone-chilling descriptions was enough.

AMAZING!!

Would you listen to The Cruelest Miles again? Why?

YES! It was one of the most entertaining audiobooks I've ever listened too. And now, probably one of my favorite true stories.

Any additional comments?

You will not be disappointed with this book! The story is gripping with larger than life heroes - dogs and humans alike! The fact that it's a true story makes it even more amazing.