Showing results by author "Sarah Hall" in All Categories

From the twice-Booker-nominated writer of Burntcoat, an astonishing literary masterpiece that explores faith, connection, and our relationship to the natural world, for fans of The Overstory and North Woods

This is a collection of 13 essays on a variety of occult-themed topics, covering the full spectrum of classic esoteric and related subjects, which include Hermeticism, alchemy, magic, the Kabbalah, ancient wisdom and philosophy, the Tarot, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Theosophy, and spiritualism, by some of the most notable and prominent names in the history of those subjects. This collection was compiled specifically with the student in mind.

Helm is a ferocious, mischievous wind - a subject of folklore and awe, who has blasted the sublime landscape of the Eden Valley since the very dawn of time. Through the stories of those who've obsessed over this phenomenon, Helm's extraordinary history is formed: the Neolithic tribe who tried to placate Helm, the Dark Age wizard priest who wanted to banish Helm, the Victorian steam engineer who attempted to capture Helm - and the farmer's daughter who loved Helm.

For almost a decade, Rachel Caine has turned her back on home, kept distant by family disputes and her work monitoring wolves on an Idaho reservation. But now, summoned by the eccentric Earl of Annerdale and his controversial scheme to reintroduce the grey wolf to the English countryside, she is back in the peat and wet light of the Lake District. The earl's project harks back to an ancient idyll of untamed British wilderness.

In an unnamed British city, the virus is spreading, and like everyone else, the celebrated sculptor Edith Harkness retreats inside. She isolates herself in her immense studio, Burntcoat, with Halit, the lover she barely knows. As life outside changes irreparably, inside Burntcoat, Edith and Halit find themselves changed as well: by the histories and responsibilities each carries and bears, by the fears and dangers of the world outside, and by the progressions of their new relationship.

On the windswept front of Morecambe Bay, Cy Parks spends his childhood years first in a guesthouse for consumptives run by his mother and then as apprentice to alcoholic tattoo artist Eliot Riley. Thirsty for new experiences, he departs for America and finds himself in the riotous world of the Coney Island boardwalk, where he sets up his own business as 'The Electric Michelangelo'.

The BBC Radio 3 series exploring the meaning of the male nude in the visual arts. When we think of the nude we usually think of the female nude, and in Western art in particular, we're often contemplating an image where the artist is primarily concerned with sensuality and desire. If we spare a thought for the male nude at all, he tends to appear as a figure symbolising courage and endurance. Both perspectives are, of course, a simplification or distortion.

Like the creation myths they supersede, the revelations of science are seared into our collective imagination through storytelling. From Archimedes' bath to Newton's apple, vivid accounts of scientific discovery help us understand the principles behind each theory, and add to the larger narrative of how the universe works, and how we came to be here. This anthology draws out and distils science's love of narrative from a wide range of scientific disciplines, weaving theory into very human stories.

The five titles shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award 2013, administered in partnership with BookTrust. Contains: Mrs Fox by Sarah Hall read by Andrea Riseborough, Barmouth by Lisa Blower read by Rebekah Staton, Prepositions by Lionel Shriver read by Nancy Crane, Notes from the House of Spirits by Lucy Wood read by Hattie Morahan, We Are Watching Something Terrible Happening by Lavinia Greenlaw read by Claire Skinner.

The characters in Sudden Traveler walk, drive, dream, and fly, trying to reconcile themselves with their journeys through life, death, and love. Science fiction meets folktale and philosophy meets mortality. A woman with a new generation of pacemaker chooses to shut it down in the Lakeland, the site of her strongest memories. A man repatriated in the near east hears the name of an old love called and must unpack history’s dark suitcase. From the new world - waves of female anger and resistance, a mythical creature evolves.

A new kind of Pregnancy & Motherhood Podcast! If you used to pop champagne in the clurrrrb and now you’re popping prenatal vitamins, well, you’ve come to the right place. From the writer and creator of the comedy Instagram and Podcast “Big Kid Problems” comes a brand new show about the roller coaster of Pregnancy and new Motherhood! For Pregnancy Episodes, scroll on down to the beginning of this podcast and you will find all 40 week-by-weeks of pregnancy with Sarah. Find your week OR start from the beginning and get ready to commiserate with your new preggo bestie!

The 5 shortlisted titles for the BBC National Short Story Award 2010 administered in partnership with Booktrust, containing:Tea at the Midland by David ConstantineDavid Constantine 2010 Haywards Heath by Aminatta FornaAminatta Forna 2010Butcher’s Perfume by Sarah HallSarah Hall 2010If It Keeps on Raining by Jon McGregorJon McGregor 2010My Daughter the Racist by Helen OyeyemiHelen Oyeyemi 2010

In the bedroom above her immense studio at Burntcoat, the celebrated sculptor Edith Harkness is making her final preparations. Her life will draw to an end in the coming days. Downstairs, the studio is a crucible glowing with memories and desire. It was here, when the first lockdown came, that she brought Halit. The lover she barely knew. A presence from another culture. A doorway into a new and feverish world.

It is 1936 in a remote dale in the old northern county of Westmorland. For centuries the rural community has remained the same, the Lightburn family has been immersed in the harsh hill-farming tradition. Then a man from the city of Manchester arrives, spokesman for a vast industrial project that will devastate both the landscape and the local community. Mardale will be flooded to create a new reservoir, supplying water to the Midland cities. In the coming year this corner of Lakeland will be evacuated and transformed.

In this collection of nine works of short fiction, Sarah Hall uses her piercing insight to plumb the depth of the female experience and the human soul. A husband's wife transforms into a vulpine in "Mrs. Fox", winner of the BBC Short Story Prize. In "Case Study 2", a social worker struggles with a foster child raised in a commune. A new mother runs into an old lover in "Luxury Hour". Hall has composed nine wholly original pieces - works of fiction that will resonate long after the final word is heard.

Hamilton had his future planned out. Everything was right on track with college...until his father had a heart attack, and every dime of Hamilton’s savings went to paying off the medical bills. Now, he’s desperate to earn it back so he can head off to school like he’s always wanted. His method is selling homemade jerky from his father’s RV. The only problem is the person parked on the other side of the street.

Juniper Nelson has watched everyone she loves as they’ve gotten better. As they’ve left her behind. Verin Cooper, the son of Hades, has just moved to Seattle. Right down the street from a hotheaded seer he is ill-prepared to meet. The last thing either of them wants is to get involved with the gods again. Unfortunately, someone has stolen Cerebus, and Hades insist his son find out who, with Juniper’s help.

Zander Dovetree, the son of Aphrodite, has survived the vengeance of three furies, and a childhood in foster care. Yet, he isn’t sure he can survive Jasmine Nelson, a girl with a dazzling smile, wildness in her eyes, and a shattered soul. Jasmine is racing toward her death, and doesn’t seem to know or care about it. She gets closer every day, and is unwilling to slow down or stop. Not even her feelings for Zander can make her see where her path leads.

Jasper Nelson and his two sisters have been seers since the day they were born. They see the past, present, and future, even when what they're seeing isn't all that pleasant. Kezia Dovetree and her sort of brother, Zander, were orphaned by their goddess mothers shortly after their births. They endured years of foster care, from the best homes to the worst homes, with their mothers watching over them. They're on their own now, and trouble is still following them.

Something strange is happening around Seattle, and only the gods know what. Jasper, Kezia, and their family have been getting dragged into the gods’ disputes for a while, but now, their issues are all personal ones. Argus, the giant who tried to kill them, is still on the loose. Furthermore, a primordial being has started showing up around them. And then, there is still that pesky prophecy that has been hanging over their heads.