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Transcendent Reads - your thoughts and lists

Meadow337

Meadow337

Former Moderator
Following on from the BOTM and a suggestion I decided to make a thread for those reads you found 'transcendent'.

By a transcendent read I mean one is written so well that you are taken on a journey with the book and spat out the other end, perhaps not entirely sure why that was so amazing, but it was. It ought to make you aware of things bigger than yourself and whilst asking for enlightment is too heavy a burden for a work of fiction, it ought to make you feel that you were in some way enlightened.

Each of these books currently on my reader (there have been more over the years but for the moment this is my 'top' list) makes the 'transcendent' list. Each of these books I read in more or less one sitting, barely coming up for air. Each left me with that satisfied feeling of having experienced something amazing.


Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is borderline for me. I can't read some of his books "American Gods' for example. But this one just grabbed me. The main theme of the book is wound around the concept of 'Anansi' an African folk hero type character analogous to 'Brer Rabbit' or 'Coyote' ie 'the trickster'.

Blood of Flowers - Amirrezvani Anita
This book is a glimpse into world that is foreign for most of us. A lesson in what it means to be a woman and that rare thing a proper told story in the oral tradition of story telling.

Saving Fish From Drowning - Amy Tan
This is really a remarkable book. A group of tourists goes missing in Burma/Myanmar. One of the party dies and the book is narrated by her as her ghost watches over the remaining members of the tour party.

Contact - Carl Sagan

The Mistress of Spices - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
There was something in the dilemma and choices the main character faces that just spoke to me. Love vs Immortality - what would you choose? Service vs Self?

Waiting, Nanjing Requim and A Free Life - Ha Jin
Perhaps of the three 'Waiting' is the best, followed by 'A Free Life'. Both books deeply impacted me. None of the three are comfortable reading.

The Oracle of Stamboul - Michael David Lukas
The Oracle of Stamboul is a marvelously evocative, magical historical novel that will transport readers to another time and place - as some other reviewer said and I can't put it better.

People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

Pretty much anything by Salman Rushdie although Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses are my favourites.

The Second Duchess - Elizabeth Loupas
This book is in no way 'deep' but the concept of it amused me and it is really well written. It is based on the poem "The Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. Historical mystery.

Sky Burial - Xinran Xue
A profoundly moving story about love and life in Tibet.

Stories I only tell my friends - Rob Lowe
I really don't read autobiographies much (at all) but I saw Rob talking about this book on TV (can't remember which show) and thought it sounded like not exactly your usual autobiography and would give it a try.

The Surrendered - Chang-Rae Lee
A stunning story about how love and war inalterably change the lives of those they touch, The Surrendered is elegant, suspenseful, and unforgettable: a profound meditation on the nature of heroism and sacrifice, the power of love, and the possibilities for mercy and salvation.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
I know this one is kind of cliché - 'the best seller' but there was such a consistent note of hope regardless of age and circumstances throughout the book that really touched me.

When Broken Glass Floats - Chanrithy Him
Surviving the Khmer Rouge.

When The Emperor was Divine - Julia Otsuko
Experience of a Japanese family interred in a camp during the second world war told through the eyes of a child.

Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Without faith we have nothing.


So there is my list - what books make it on to your list of 'transcendent' books and how would you define it?
 
Interesting that you chose Anansi Boys but not American Gods since Anansi Boys is essentially loosely a sequel to American Gods.
 
Like your thread; it crosses all genres I imagine? And very glad to see your recommendations, most of them new to me. My short list of books that stood out far far above all the other merely good ones will be up shortly.
 
Meadow337 said:
Following on from the BOTM and a suggestion I decided to make a thread for those reads you found 'transcendent'.

By a transcendent read I mean one is written so well that you are taken on a journey with the book and spat out the other end, perhaps not entirely sure why that was so amazing, but it was. It ought to make you aware of things bigger than yourself and whilst asking for enlightment is too heavy a burden for a work of fiction, it ought to make you feel that you were in some way enlightened.

Each of these books currently on my reader (there have been more over the years but for the moment this is my 'top' list) makes the 'transcendent' list. Each of these books I read in more or less one sitting, barely coming up for air. Each left me with that satisfied feeling of having experienced something amazing.


Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is borderline for me. I can't read some of his books "American Gods' for example. But this one just grabbed me. The main theme of the book is wound around the concept of 'Anansi' an African folk hero type character analogous to 'Brer Rabbit' or 'Coyote' ie 'the trickster'.

Blood of Flowers - Amirrezvani Anita
This book is a glimpse into world that is foreign for most of us. A lesson in what it means to be a woman and that rare thing a proper told story in the oral tradition of story telling.

Saving Fish From Drowning - Amy Tan
This is really a remarkable book. A group of tourists goes missing in Burma/Myanmar. One of the party dies and the book is narrated by her as her ghost watches over the remaining members of the tour party.

Contact - Carl Sagan

The Mistress of Spices - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
There was something in the dilemma and choices the main character faces that just spoke to me. Love vs Immortality - what would you choose? Service vs Self?

Waiting, Nanjing Requim and A Free Life - Ha Jin
Perhaps of the three 'Waiting' is the best, followed by 'A Free Life'. Both books deeply impacted me. None of the three are comfortable reading.

The Oracle of Stamboul - Michael David Lukas
The Oracle of Stamboul is a marvelously evocative, magical historical novel that will transport readers to another time and place - as some other reviewer said and I can't put it better.

People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

Pretty much anything by Salman Rushdie although Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses are my favourites.

The Second Duchess - Elizabeth Loupas
This book is in no way 'deep' but the concept of it amused me and it is really well written. It is based on the poem "The Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. Historical mystery.

Sky Burial - Xinran Xue
A profoundly moving story about love and life in Tibet.

Stories I only tell my friends - Rob Lowe
I really don't read autobiographies much (at all) but I saw Rob talking about this book on TV (can't remember which show) and thought it sounded like not exactly your usual autobiography and would give it a try.

The Surrendered - Chang-Rae Lee
A stunning story about how love and war inalterably change the lives of those they touch, The Surrendered is elegant, suspenseful, and unforgettable: a profound meditation on the nature of heroism and sacrifice, the power of love, and the possibilities for mercy and salvation.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
I know this one is kind of cliché - 'the best seller' but there was such a consistent note of hope regardless of age and circumstances throughout the book that really touched me.

When Broken Glass Floats - Chanrithy Him
Surviving the Khmer Rouge.

When The Emperor was Divine - Julia Otsuko
Experience of a Japanese family interred in a camp during the second world war told through the eyes of a child.

Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Without faith we have nothing.


So there is my list - what books make it on to your list of 'transcendent' books and how would you define it?
Click to expand...

Dear Meadows 337,

I think I too will make a list soon. But my list will not / cannot be limited to only fiction because it has to be topped by 'The Crescent Moon', by Rabindranath Tagore.

It's filled with simple, delightful verse; about children, mothers, the poignant bond between them and of course nature.

I'm pasting my favourite lines here. You can find the book on the net, its copyright free.

"WHERE have I come from, where did you pick me up?" the baby asked its mother.
She answered half crying, half laughing, and clasping the baby to her breast,-- "You were hidden in my heart as its desire, my darling.
You were in the dolls of my childhood's games; and when with clay I made the image of my god every morning, I made and unmade you then.
You were enshrined with our household deity, in his worship I worshipped you.
In all my hopes and my loves, in my life, in the life of my mother you have lived.
In the lap of the deathless Spirit who rules our home you have been nursed for ages.
When in girlhood my heart was opening its petals, you hovered as a fragrance about it.
Your tender softness bloomed in my youthful limbs, like a glow in the sky before the sunrise.
Heaven's first darling, twin-born with the morning light, you have floated down the stream of the world's life, and at last you have stranded on my heart.
As I gaze on your face, mystery overwhelms me; you who belong to all have become mine.
For fear of losing you I hold you tight to my breast. What magic has snared the world's treasure in these slender arms of mine?"

This is an English translation of the bengali original.

Best Regards,

Gita
 
It's your list Gita :) The only reason this here is because it seemed the best place for the thread rather than an intention of limiting it to only fiction. A book on mathematics was a very profound read for me a few years ago. I may make more lists lol because this one really is very current with books just from the last few years.

Peder, looking forward to your list.
 
The Corean Chronicles by L. E. Modesitt, was the latest book that was "transcendent" for me. I read through all six of the books in just over two weeks.
 
Sparhawk said:
The Corean Chronicles by L. E. Modesitt, was the latest book that was "transcendent" for me. I read through all six of the books in just over two weeks.
Click to expand...

Those were a great read Sparhawk and better than his 'Recluse' books which sort of fizzled out after the first few and felt very repetitive.
 
Transcendent Reads: a selection from much longer listings of memorable books I have read, the one's that touched my heart in one way or another and which I wish had never ended. Perhaps I bend your criterion too much, Meadow. These are not predominantly inspirational or "mountain top" experiences; they just have love in all its guises. These might also serve as a list of my favorite authors -- no slouches here. (The dates are included only for my convenient back reference to the original lists.)

Earlier Years, before 2004
The Wings of the Morning by Louis Tracy. The first book I ever read and it is still with me.
By Love Posessed by James Gould Cozzens. Love and life in upper middle class America.
Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions by John Donne. Magnificent introspections.
Remembrance of Times Past by Marcel Proust (complete). You have to be in the mood for slow.
Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby, Jr. Gritty and not for the faint of heart. But extraordinary.

2004
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Controversial to say the least, but what a story!
Speak Memory by Vladimir Nabokov. His life and his love.
Adultery by Walter Dubus (novella). Love at the core of it, beautifully written. Excellent.

2005
Véra by Stacy Shiff. Vera and Vladimir Nabokov's life and inseparable love together.

2006
Look at the Harlequins by Vladimir Nabokov. Extraordinary paean to the love of his life.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Beautifully written, wonderful story.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Heart-catching if you are open to it.

2007
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Mournful kook back on life by a retired pastor. Sobering.
Malevil by Robert Merle. After the end of the world, what? This!
Dreams of My Russian Summers by Andrei Makine. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Light Years by James Salter. Glistening, dazzling prose of life in the fast lane.

2008
Casanova in Bolzano by Sandor Marai. Heart-wrenching and totally unexpected plot.
American Pastoral by Philip Roth. Life and love in the particular time. Unforgettable.

2009
Franny and Zooey by J.D.Salinger. Love, just love. Just read it.

2010

2011
The Memory Chalet by Tony Judt. Modern memories of a noted historian, now departed.
The Hunters by James Salter. Another by Salter. Pilots in the Pacific War, bonding and sacrifice.

2012
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Enchanting adaptation from a fairy tale.
 
That looks like an interesting selection Peder and no I don't regard any selection as "bending" the criteria. If a book moved you, I don't care if it was Noddy and Big Ears. (In fact LOL when I was 5 Noddy and Big Ears was pretty transcendent. And my endearing memories of childhood reading is littered with Enid Blyton - Famous Five, Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers and a dog, just to name a few.) The criteria is simply "did you feel the earth move" while reading it?
 
Well, here goes. :)

Transcendent in the sense of being beyond the limits of ordinary experience, or exceeding usual limits.

I've read innumerable "good" books, hundreds, if not thousands in my life I'd venture to say. But transcendent....that's more than just good. Beyond ordinary. Exceeding usual limits. At least according to Webster. :)

Perhaps books that moved me, touched my heart for whatever reason, logical or not, would qualify. It's difficult to weed out the really, really good ones and just leave in the ones that affected me, affected my thinking throughout my life.

Perhaps the very first book that just made me sit up and go.......that's the way it is!, has to be Taylor Caldwell's Pillar of Iron. Marcus Cicero's life story as told, fictionalized of course, by Caldwell from actual correspondence between Cicero and his contemporaries.....his publisher Atticus, his mercurial friend Julius Caesar, Pompey....all the greats. His Orations. Caldwell begins her Foreword with this...

"Any resemblance between the Republic of Rome and the United States of America is purely historical, as is the similarity of ancient Rome to the modern world."

I was 15, taking an Ancient History class in High School when I read this the first time. and it hit me like a ton of bricks. :)

John Toland's 2 volume Adolf Hitler, William Manchester's The Arms of Krupp, both hit me hard.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte...love story, redemption. I've lost count the number of times I've reread this...it's different at various ages. My first reading was at about 9 or 10, the last about 60. :)

Same as Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell...changes with age. I've seen different aspects of all characters as I age. Again, first reading about 10 or 11, last reading about 60(ish). :)

Lolita, Pnin, Speak Memory, Look at the Harlequins! by Vladimir Nabokov are all filled with painterly prose that can break your heart.
Vera by Stacey Schiff...VN and his wife's marriage/life long love affair.

The Sea, The Untouchables, Athena, The Book of Evidence, Ghosts by John Banville are my favorites of his, but anything, really, that he has written.

Both Nabokov and Banville transport me like no other author. When I open one of their books it is like falling into a warm and wonderful feather bed that totally wraps me up and shuts out the world.

Malevil by Robert Merle is a book I've reread a number of times. I think this book influenced me because it shows that people will be people and fight no matter what the circumstances, but sometimes an honorable Leader will emerge that changes the course of Life. I know that is an over-dramatization, but it epitomized that possibility to me.

I must add Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner, mostly because when I read it I felt I'd come home. I knew these people, they were my relatives, friends and foes.

Light Years by James Salter...the prose, the prose!
The Ripley books (all 5) by Patricia Highsmith....great fun, wonderfully horrible protagonist!
A Widow for One Year by John Irving...a story of endurance and love triumphing over time and age.
Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, and The Ghost Road by Pat Barker WWI...horrifying, beautiful
The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville Irish, The Troubles...story of redemption.
Follow Me Down by Shelby Foote Great story telling, beautiful prose.
 
Meadow337 said:
I have a copy of American Gods and can't get past the first page. Inexplicably.
Click to expand...
I loved Neverwhere and American Gods...haven't read Anansi Boys yet, it's on the shelf waiting for me. I think you have to be in the right mood for AG.
 
pontalba said:
I've read innumerable "good" books, hundreds, if not thousands in my life I'd venture to say. But transcendent....that's more than just good. Beyond ordinary. Exceeding usual limits. At least according to Webster. :)

Perhaps books that moved me, touched my heart for whatever reason, logical or not, would qualify. It's difficult to weed out the really, really good ones and just leave in the ones that affected me, affected my thinking throughout my life.
Click to expand...

Your entire post, Pontalba, is a wonderful description of an enviable lifelong reading experience. The books you mention that I have read I thoroughly agree with; the books I haven't read go onto the TBR must-read list.

Excellent post and excellent reading. Congratulations on your time well-spent so far. May you read many many more (and keep us posted). :):)
 
Thank you Peder. :D
Many of the ones on your list are ones I've read and loved as well, I just had to cut somewhere...it ain't easy! I do have to mention the Tony Judt book, The Memory Chalet, though...man, it really was fabulous. What an amazing man he was. The courage!
And one day I will! I will! get to Proust! ;)

Meadow, I forgot to mention that one of your authors, Chang-rae Lee is one I enjoy as well. I've only read A Gesture Life so far, but have more on the shelf waiting.
 
pontalba said:
I loved Neverwhere and American Gods...haven't read Anansi Boys yet, it's on the shelf waiting for me. I think you have to be in the right mood for AG.
Click to expand...

Isn't that true of any book? It certainly is for me - I have to be in the mood to read any given book.

Reading these very interesting lists makes me realise that a. there are gaps in my reading (but then I knew there were, I have become wider in my reading as I have grown older and there are lots of books I know I need to get to) b. that I need to share my lists from earlier in my life. (when I can think of all the titles LOL)

I devoured nearly all John Irving's books at one point. Perhaps for me the most transcendent was "Life of Garp' being the first of his books that I read although it would be a toss up with "A Prayer for Owen Meany', 'Setting Free The Bears' and "Hotel New Hampshire'. I'm not sure however that I would put any of those on a list of transcendent books, because although they all were fantastic reads; they weren't MORE than a lot of other books for me personally anyway.

Same goes for the Bronte sisters and other classics. I have read any number of them - Dickens, Lawrence, Bronte x2, Dumas, Austen etc etc and moving onto the science fiction fantasy greats Asimov, Heineken, Tolkien, Herbert, Huxely, Bradbury et al but very very few of them move from 'great' to 'transcendent' for me.

I think if I had to pick a handful of books from my childhood that made a huge impact first on the list would be "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell. I think my life long awareness of and passionate opposition to animal cruelty started with that book. Others that I remember standing out were 'Rendevous with Rama' Arthur C. Clarke and "Dune" Frank Herbert - the first time I read it, but now it wouldn't make it onto a list, it is still great, just not transcendent, "A Wizard of Earthsea" Ursula Le Guin and an article in a National Geographic magazine about Native American ritual read crouched behind the chair in my grandparent's flat while the adults talked about boring stuff. "Animal Farm" George Orwell and "A Tale of Two Horses" Aime Tschiffely and then I read "Dracula" Bram Stoker in the dark, late at night, up in my treehouse when I was 9. I wasn't allowed to read it, and I wasn't allowed to spend the night up there. I thought it was a good idea to sneak out and do both at the same time. It sure made an impact! And I was VERY happy my parents found me. I remember devouring every single 'Dr Syn' book by Russel Thorndike. I think I was well primed to fall in love with Zorro played by Alain Delon when I saw it age 11 (I saw that movie 14 times in one week) by reading those books. (I was in love with the movie, not Alain Delon BTW and to this day can say that I have never fallen 'in love' with a movie star/character or other star)
 
I have to admit that a lot of the books that everyone is mentioning are a little (ok a lot) out of my normal reading parameters :).

But I have still read my share of transcendent books, so here are my few words about transcendent books :p. I think that with a transcendent book that when you are finished reading it that somehow, something has changed. Maybe it is the way you feel about a subject or see the world. Or it could something that you can never quit put you finger on.
 
Oh, how could I have forgotten Black Beauty!? Yes. Me too. What Katy Did as well. And I have to give credit to Nancy Drew for my life long love affair with mysteries. :) Trancendent, not in the true sense, but as a genre.....yes.
 
Sparhawk said:
I have to admit that a lot of the books that everyone is mentioning are a little (ok a lot) out of my normal reading parameters :).
Click to expand...

That might possibly be true for all of us. It shows there is a lot of good reading out there -- more than we'll ever get to in a lifetime. :(

Sometimes it is just a chapter that is transcendent for me and like nothing I have ever seen before, or even just a paragraph. But when it hits home it really does and I remember it forever.
 
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