A compelling sequel to the best-selling novel The Denniston Rose. Eighteen years have passed since the child Rose arrived on Denniston, riding up the terrifying Incline on a stormy night. She has now grown into a young woman, intelligent and talented, with an outrageous zest for life. The trauma of her early years seems forgotten, though some recognise its shadow in her often unconventional behaviour. Rose is expected to marry her childhood friend the golden Michael Hanratty, but when dark and stubborn Brennan Scobie arrives back on the Hill after a seven-year absence, a challenge is inevitable. The opposition of Brennan's ambitious mother adds to the tension. This sequel to the best-selling The Denniston Rose continues to follow the fortunes of the remote West Coast coal-mining settlement. At the turn of the century Denniston is still isolated, but all that is about to change. New challenges will confront both Rose and this close-knit society. Staying or leaving will become an option. Heart of Coal is about loss and love, hope and despair. It is a story of convention and the lack of it and of the uncompromising spirit of a unique woman.

Heart of Coal is a dual narrative following the story of Wannie, a man who defied the odds despite a difficult upbringing marked by abuse, poverty, and disadvantage. The story alternates between Wannie's own experiences and those of his grandson, who idolizes and learns from him. Wannie's life unfolds against the backdrop of the changes brought by the twentieth century and the industrialization of rural Appalachia. Escaping his troubled homelife, he finds salvation and guidance from his uncles in a small town. His experiences working in the coal mines and later in Detroit shape his resilience and determination, providing life lessons for his grandson. The grandson's narrative reveals the impact of Wannie's experiences on his own development, highlighting themes of resilience, hope, loss, and acceptance. The book explores the human spirit's capacity to overcome adversity and find inspiration in unlikely places, resonating with readers familiar with stories of self-made individuals and Appalachian heritage. With comparisons to To Kill a Mockingbird and Hillbilly Elegy, this work of fiction draws on the real-life story of the author's grandfather, offering a raw and honest portrayal of the challenges faced by many in similar circumstances. The book ultimately celebrates Wannie's unwavering faith in God and his sense of responsibility that define his legacy.

A major new work of history, told through the stories of a teeming cast of characters. The history of coal is the story of the last two centuries of the industrialized world. Coal has powered that world, and controlled the destinies of millions. And nowhere has that influence run more deeply than in Nova Scotia, where the industry’s rise and decline has transformed society twice. Coal Black Heart is a global history that centres unapologetically on one province, and the generations of people whose lives there have been shaped by this dominating industry. There are the miners. There are the moonshiners and brooding social reformers and charismatic preachers who gave the mining towns their particular feel and flair. And there are the profiteers whose greed led to disaster. This is history as great storytelling - enthralling, involving, deeply moving, and it is a very personal narrative. A brilliant reporter, journalist, and author who has spent most of his career examining Nova Scotia’s weave of land, people, and history - and who grew up listening to its stories - John DeMont was born to write this book.

A number one bestseller, this favourite New Zealand novel captures a real 19th century community. The bleak coal-mining settlement of Denniston, isolated high on a plateau above New Zealand's West Coast, is a place that makes or breaks those who live there. At the time of this novel - the1880s - the only way to reach the makeshift collection of huts, tents and saloons is to climb aboard an empty coal-wagon to be hauled 2000 feet up the terrifyingly steep Incline - the cable-haulage system that brings the coal down to the railway line. All sorts arrive here to work the mines and bring down the coal: ex-goldminers down on their luck; others running from the law or from a woman or worse. They work alongside recruited English miners, solid and skilled, who scorn these disorganised misfits and want them off the Hill. Into this chaotic community come five-year-old Rose and her mother, riding up the Incline, at night, during a storm. No one knows what has driven them there, but most agree the mother must be desperate to choose Denniston; worse, to choose that drunkard, Jimmy Cork, as bedfellow. The mother has her reasons and her plans, which she tells no one. The indomitable Rose is left to fend for herself, struggling to secure a place in this tough and often aggressive community. The Denniston Rose is about isolation and survival. It is the story of a spirited child, who, in appalling conditions, remains a survivor.

Forget Frosty the Snowman or Ruldolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The next great holiday hero is a small, flammable chunk of barbecue fodder. He's impeccably dressed, he's terribly grumpy, and he's looking for a holiday miracle. It's unmistakably Snicket - here's the opening line: This holiday season is a time for stoytelling, and whether you are hearing the story of a candelabra staying lit for more than a week, or a baby born in a barn without proper medical supervision, these stories often feature miracles.

She is the everyday girl next-door. He is shadowed by regret laced in broken memories. Dark sins of the past have a way of taking hold of your heart and never letting go. Paisley Asher is the average woman trying to get by in life. Happy and safe in her bubble of ease, she is not prepared to take on the black pit that is one man’s heart. Trevor "Coal" Blake has a past covered in black. Tainted. He is a dark soul. In the moment, it is easy to lose sight of what is going on. Looking back, however, little cues were misread … or were they? He lives with more questions than answers. Chance encounters bring these two together. Is she the angel to pull him from the depths of his personal hell, or is he destined to remain alone and as black as coal? ***Although part of a series this book can be read as a stand-alone novel. Series reading order: Ice Hammer Coal

A searing, on-the-ground examination of the collapsing coal industry—and the communities left behind—in the midst of economic and environmental crisis. Despite fueling a century of American progress, the people at the heart of coal country are being left behind, suffering from unemployment, the opioid epidemic, and environmental crises often at greater rates than anywhere else in the country. But what if Appalachia’s troubles are just a taste of what the future holds for all of us? Appalachian Fall tells the captivating true story of coal communities on the leading edge of change. A group of local reporters known as the Ohio Valley ReSource shares the real-world impact these changes have had on what was once the heart and soul of America. Including stories like: -The miners’ strike in Harlan County after their company suddenly went bankrupt, bouncing their paychecks -The farmers tilling former mining ground for new cash crops like hemp -The activists working to fight mountaintop removal and bring clean energy jobs to the region -And the mothers mourning the loss of their children to overdose and despair In the wake of the controversial bestseller Hillbilly Elegy, Appalachian Fall addresses what our country owes to a region that provided fuel for a century and what it risks if it stands by watching as the region, and its people, collapse.