Book description
A distinguished former foreign correspondent embraces retirement by setting out alone on foot for nearly four hundred miles, and explores a side of America nearly as exotic as the locales from which he once filed. Traveling with an unwieldy pack and a keen curiosity, Christopher Wren bids farewell to the New York Times newsroom in midtown Manhattan and saunters up Broadway, through Harlem, the Bronx, and the affluent New York suburbs of Westchester and Putnam Counties. As his trek takes him into the Housatonic River Valley of Connecticut, the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and along a bucolic riverbank in New Hampshire, the strenuous challenges become as much emotional as physical. Wren loses his way in a suburban thicket of million-dollar mansions, dodges speeding motorists, seeks serenity at a convent, shivers through a rainy night among Shaker ruins, camps in a stranger's backyard, panhandles cookies and water from a good samaritan, absorbs the lore of the Appalachian and Long Trails, sweats up and down mountains, and lands in a hospital emergency room. Struggling under the weight of a fifty-pound pack, he gripes, "We might grow less addicted to stuff if everything we bought had to be carried on our backs." He hangs out with fellow wanderers named Old Rabbit, Flash, Gatorman, Stray Dog, and Buzzard, and learns gratitude from the anonymous charity of trail angels. His rite of passage into retirement, with its heat and dust and blisters galore, evokes vivid reminiscences of earlier risks taken, sometimes at gunpoint, during his years spent reporting from Russia, China, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. He loses track of time, waking with the sun, stopping to eat when hunger gnaws, and camping under starry skies that transform the nights of solitude. For all the self-inflicted hardship, he reports, "In fact, I felt pretty good." Wren has woven an intensely personal story that is candid and often downright hilarious. As Vermont turns from a destination into a state of mind, he concludes, "I had stumbled upon the secret of how utterly irrelevant chronological age is." This book, from the author of the acclaimed bestseller The Cat Who Covered the World, will delight not just hikers, walkers, and other lovers of the outdoors, but also anyone who contemplates retirement, wonders about foreign correspondents, or relishes a lively, off-beat adventure, even when it unfolds close to home.
Racy Lady
ListenBook has turned my daily routines into audiobook-driven journeys of imagination. Great for listening to lectures and educational content. Very useful!
Palomino Cake
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Midnight Rambler
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Apple Nola
Audiobooks have made waiting in lines and queues so much more bearable. The user-friendly interface and precise controls make listening to audiobooks an absolute delight. Tone adjustment adds a unique touch to my listening experience. I'm hooked! It was fine. The narrator did an adequate job but nothing about the performance particularly stood out to me. Got me through my commute though.
Tangerine
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Chapstick
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Phoenix Sparrow
ListenBook has transformed my listening habits, making them more engaging and enjoyable. π Unleashing the power of audiobooks with this user-friendly app β it's like having a personal storyteller on demand! ππ₯ The app's performance is beyond impressive. It's like it's tailor-made for my device. ListenBookβs bookmarking feature is incredibly useful. I never lose my place in a book.
Shadow Gal
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Sky Bully
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Fresh Peper
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Star Killer
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Scarlet Mary
ListenBook's commitment to providing a smooth and enjoyable listening experience is evident in every detail. With this app, I've discovered a new way to make my daily routines more enriching and rewarding. The app is so user-friendly. Even my grandma can use it!
Snout Pixie
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EchoEnigma
ListenBook has transformed my mundane activities into enjoyable moments of learning and entertainment. ListenBook's powerful audio downloading features make it easy to keep my content at my fingertips. ListenBook's audio filters and controls have turned my listening into a personalized experience. ListenBook is the best audiobook player Iβve ever used. The app is reliable, fast, and packed with features like customizable themes and playback speed. The sleep timer is a lifesaver for bedtime listening. Great job, developers! My house has never been cleaner! I kept finding chores to do just to keep listening. The narrator's energy matched the tone of the book perfectly.
Po1son
ListenBook has revolutionized my audio experience, making it both personalized and engaging. Adjusting the narrator's voice tone is a creative feature that adds a personal touch to the experience. I love the ability to change the playback speed. Itβs perfect for my needs.
Doll Champagne
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Digger
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WeldMaster
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Blade
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Playing a wide variety of audio formats
Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer
Huge amount of features for a small price
Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones
Advanced playback controls
Live sound processing
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction
Translated into more than 20 languages
If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.
Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls
Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.
Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience