Latest news with #Infinity
Business Wire
4 hours ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Infinity Natural Resources Announces Second Quarter 2025 Results and Maintains 2025 Guidance
MORGANTOWN, WIRE)--Infinity Natural Resources, Inc. ('Infinity' or the 'Company') (NYSE: INR) today reported its second quarter 2025 financial and operating results. Second Quarter 2025 & Recent Highlights Constructed an additional natural gas-weighted pad in Pennsylvania and commenced drilling activities in July Drilled seven wells totaling approximately 118,000 lateral feet and completed eight wells and 777 stages Placed one oil-weighted well into sales in the Ohio Utica Shale Placed six additional wells into sales in July totaling approximately 86,000 lateral feet comprised of (a) two oil-weighted wells in the Ohio Utica Shale and (b) four natural gas-weighted wells in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania Delivered total net daily production of 33.1 MBoe/d, approximately 19% oil and 37% liquids Reported net income of $72.0 million Delivered Adjusted EBITDAX (1) of $49.6 million, representing an Adjusted EBITDAX Margin (1) of $16.48 / Boe Generated $144.6 million of net cash provided by operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025 Drilling and completion ('D&C') capital expenditures incurred of $70.4 million Midstream capital expenditures incurred of $2.7 million Total net debt was approximately $28.1 million as of June 30, 2025 Total liquidity was $321.9 million as of June 30, 2025 Management Commentary "Our second quarter results yet again demonstrated strong operational performance while highlighting the strategic advantages of our diversified Appalachian platform. Our net production for the quarter averaged 33.1 Mboe/d, representing a 25% increase from the first quarter of this year," said Zack Arnold, President & CEO of Infinity. "Our production growth was primarily driven by our Marcellus natural gas development in Pennsylvania. We brought five natural gas wells online at the end of March ahead of schedule and on budget. In addition, we brought online one oil-weighted well from our Rubel Dodd pad in Guernsey County, Ohio in May. Our team continues to execute our 2025 plan. Our disciplined approach to capital allocation and operational excellence has positioned us well for continued growth in 2025 and beyond." "What distinguishes Infinity Natural Resources is our proven operational flexibility across our oil and natural gas assets within Appalachia. The second quarter exemplified this advantage, as we elected to accelerate our next natural gas project while maintaining steady progress on our high-quality Ohio oil development in the Utica Shale's volatile oil window. Our unique asset composition provides us with the agility to adjust development timing and weighting as market conditions evolve — a key competitive advantage that we successfully displayed yet again this quarter." "Looking beyond the second quarter, our overall 2025 development plan remains on track from what we originally outlined earlier this year. We successfully brought online a natural gas project in July, and recently commenced drilling on another natural gas project that we elected to pull forward. With our clean balance sheet featuring minimal net debt and substantial liquidity, we remain well-positioned to pursue accretive growth opportunities as market conditions evolve," concluded Mr. Arnold. Operational Update Infinity's net daily production for the second quarter of 2025 averaged 33.1 MBoe/d, consisting of 19.5 MBoe/d in Ohio and 13.6 MBoe/d in Pennsylvania. Infinity's net daily production mix was comprised of approximately 19% oil, 18% NGLs and 63% natural gas. We turned into sales one gross oil-weighted well (0.9 net) during the second quarter in May in the Utica Shale in Ohio. Subsequent to quarter-end, we turned into sales two additional gross oil-weighted wells (1.9 net) in the Utica Shale and four gross natural gas-weighted wells (3.3 net) in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania in July. The following table sets forth information regarding our production, revenues and realized prices and production costs for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024: ____________________ (1) Calculated by converting natural gas to oil equivalent barrels at a ratio of six Mcf of natural gas to one Boe. (2) General and administrative expense includes (a) a one-time share-based compensation expense of $126.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025 incurred in connection with the Company's initial public offering ("IPO") and (b) $2.3 million and $3.1 million in non-cash stock compensation for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, respectively. Expand Capital Investment Capital expenditures incurred during the quarter were $80.6 million, which included $70.4 million on D&C activities, $2.7 million on midstream and $7.5 million on land activities. Financial Position and Liquidity As of June 30, 2025, Infinity had approximately $6.3 million of cash and cash equivalents and $34.4 million of borrowings under its revolving credit facility. Infinity's liquidity as of June 30, 2025 totaled approximately $321.9 million comprised of $6.3 million of cash and cash equivalents and approximately $315.6 million of available borrowing capacity under its revolving credit facility. 2025 Outlook Infinity's D&C and midstream capital budgets for 2025 remain unchanged at $240 million to $280 million and $9 million to $12 million, respectively. Net production guidance also remains unchanged and is expected to be between 32 and 35 Mboe/d for 2025. Conference Call and Webcast Details Infinity will host a conference call Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results. The conference call will be webcast live on the Company's investor relations (IR) website at In addition, you may participate in the conference call by dialing (800) 715-9871 (U.S.), or +1 (646) 307-1963 (International), and referencing "Infinity." A replay of the call will be available for 14 days following the call at the Company's website or by phone at (800) 770-2030 (U.S.) or +44 20 3433 3849 (International) using the conference ID: 5378062#. About Infinity Infinity (NYSE: INR) is a growth oriented, free cash flow generating, independent energy company focused on the acquisition, development, and production of hydrocarbons in the Appalachian Basin. Our operations are focused on the volatile oil window of the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio as well as our stacked dry gas assets in both the Marcellus and Utica Shales in southwestern Pennsylvania. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release contains statements that express the Company's opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results, in contrast with statements that reflect historical facts. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this release regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, future commodity prices, future production targets, leverage targets or debt repayment, future capital spending plans, capital efficiency, expected drilling and completions plans and projected well costs are forward-looking statements. When used in this release, words such as 'may,' 'assume,' 'forecast,' 'could,' 'should,' 'will,' 'plan,' 'believe,' 'anticipate,' 'intend,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'project,' 'budget' and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current belief, based on currently available information, as to the outcome and timing of future events at the time such statement was made. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including those incident to the development, production, gathering and sale of oil, natural gas and NGLs, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These include, but are not limited to, commodity price volatility; inflation; lack of availability and cost of drilling, completion and production equipment and services; supply chain disruption; project construction delays; environmental risks; drilling, completion and other operating risks; lack of availability or capacity of midstream gathering and transportation infrastructure; regulatory changes; the uncertainty inherent in estimating reserves and in projecting future rates of production, cash flow and access to capital; the timing of development expenditures; the concentration of the Company's operations in the Appalachian Basin; difficult and adverse conditions in the domestic and global capital and credit markets; impacts of geopolitical events and world health events, including trade wars; lack of transportation and storage capacity as a result of oversupply, government regulations or other factors; potential financial losses or earnings reductions resulting from the Company's commodity price risk management program or any inability to manage its commodity risks; failure to realize expected value creation from property acquisitions and trades; weather related risks; competition in the oil and natural gas industry; loss of production and leasehold rights due to mechanical failure or depletion of wells and the Company's inability to re-establish production; the Company's ability to service its indebtedness; political and economic conditions and events in foreign oil and natural gas producing countries, including embargoes, continued hostilities in the Middle East and other sustained military campaigns, the armed conflict in Ukraine and associated economic sanctions on Russia, conditions in South America, Central America, China and Russia, and acts of terrorism or sabotage; evolving cybersecurity risks such as those involving unauthorized access, denial-of-service attacks, malicious software, data privacy breaches by employees, insiders or others with authorized access, cyber or phishing-attacks, ransomware, social engineering, physical breaches or other actions; risks related to the Company's ability to expand its business, including through the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel; and the other risks described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC'), including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. Reserve engineering is a process of estimating underground accumulations of hydrocarbons that cannot be measured in an exact way. The accuracy of any reserve estimates depends on the quality of available data, the interpretation of such data and price and cost assumptions made by reserve engineers. In addition, the results of drilling, testing and production activities may justify revisions of estimates that were made previously. If significant, such revisions would change the schedule of any future production and development program. Accordingly, reserve estimates may differ significantly from the quantities of oil and natural gas that are ultimately recovered. Please read the Company's filings with the SEC, including 'Risk Factors' in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in other filings we make with the SEC in the future, for a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those in such forward-looking statements. As a result, actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied to forecast in such statements. Therefore, these forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of our performance, and you should not place undue reliance on such statements. All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. (1) General and administrative expense includes a one-time share-based compensation expense of $126.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025 incurred in connection with the IPO. Expand INFINITY NATURAL RESOURCES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts) June 30, 2025 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 6,282 $ 2,203 Accounts receivable: Oil and natural gas sales, net 25,906 39,314 Joint interest and other, net 8,441 32,229 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,348 11,822 Commodity derivative assets, short term 8,340 — Total current assets $ 50,317 $ 85,568 Oil and natural gas properties, full cost method (including $91.8 million and $86.5 million as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively excluded from amortization) 1,114,676 933,228 Midstream and other property and equipment 46,779 40,053 Less: Accumulated depreciation, depletion, and amortization (197,997 ) (153,233 ) Property and equipment, net $ 963,458 $ 820,048 Operating lease right-of-use assets, net 1,232 1,389 Deferred tax asset, net 604 — Other assets 7,684 8,461 Commodity derivative assets, long-term 307 — Total assets $ 1,023,602 $ 915,466 Total Liabilities, Redeemable Interest and Stockholders' Equity / Members' Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 57,645 $ 51,370 Royalties payable 23,625 23,129 Accrued liabilities 31,213 45,903 Current portion of long-term debt 63 101 Operating lease liabilities 173 247 Commodity derivative liabilities, short-term 7,147 12,596 Total current liabilities $ 119,866 $ 133,346 Long-term Debt 34,378 259,406 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion 1,059 1,142 Asset retirement obligations 3,250 2,988 Commodity derivative liabilities, long-term 8,726 10,342 Deferred tax liability, net 35 — Total liabilities $ 167,314 $ 407,224 Redeemable non-controlling interest 846,145 — Stockholders' equity / members' equity Members' equity — 508,242 Class A common stock—$0.01 par value; 400,000,000 shares authorized, 15,237,500 and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively 152 — Class B common stock—$0.01 par value; 150,000,000 shares authorized, 45,638,889 and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively 456 — Additional paid-in capital 44,392 — Accumulated deficit (34,857 ) — Total stockholders' equity / members' equity 10,143 508,242 Total liabilities, redeemable interest and stockholders' equity / members' equity $ 1,023,602 $ 915,466 Expand INFINITY NATURAL RESOURCES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (amounts in thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income (loss) $ (56,409 ) $ 10,014 Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation, depletion, and amortization 44,892 35,277 Amortization of debt issuance costs 1,090 953 Share-based compensation expense 129,188 — Loss (gain) on derivative instruments (14,903 ) 23,052 Cash received (paid) on settlement of derivative instruments (808 ) 15,301 Non-cash lease expense 163 78 Deferred income taxes (569 ) — Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable 37,196 3,572 Prepaid expenses and other assets 863 (172 ) Accounts payable 11,443 1,090 Royalties payable 496 2,372 Accrued and other expenses (2,941 ) 5,218 Other assets and liabilities (5,070 ) 36 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 144,631 $ 96,791 Cash flows from investing activities: Additions to oil and gas properties (188,271 ) (104,870 ) Additions to midstream and other property and equipment (6,275 ) (3,501 ) Net cash used in investing activities $ (194,546 ) $ (108,371 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Borrowings under revolving credit facility 82,000 56,500 Borrowings on notes payable 124 — Payments on revolving credit facility (307,000 ) (40,000 ) Proceeds from capital contributions 286,465 500 Payments of debt issuance costs (645 ) — Payments of initial public offering costs (6,760 ) — Payments on notes payable (190 ) (63 ) Net cash provided by financing activities $ 53,994 $ 16,937 Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 4,079 5,357 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 2,203 1,504 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 6,282 $ 6,861 Expand Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to disclosing financial results calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ('GAAP'), our earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures as described below. Adjusted EBITDAX We define Adjusted EBITDAX as net income (loss) plus interest, net, income tax expense, depreciation, depletion, and amortization, unrealized loss (gain) on derivative instruments, net cash settlements received (paid) on derivatives, non-cash compensation expense and non-recurring transaction expenses. We believe Adjusted EBITDAX is useful because it makes for an easier comparison of our operating performance, without regard to our financing methods, corporate form or capital structure. We determined our adjustments from net income (loss) to arrive at Adjusted EBITDAX to reflect the substantial variance in practice from company to company within our industry depending upon accounting methods and book values of assets, capital structures, and the method by which the assets were acquired. Adjusted EBITDAX should not be considered more meaningful than or as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Certain items excluded from Adjusted EBITDAX are significant components in understanding and assessing a company's financial performance, such as a company's cost of capital and tax burden, as well as the historic costs of depreciable assets, none of which are components of Adjusted EBITDAX. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDAX should not be construed as an inference that our results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Our computations of Adjusted EBITDAX may differ from and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Adjusted EBITDAX Margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDAX divided by total production. The following table provides a reconciliation of our net loss, the most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, to Adjusted EBITDAX for the periods presented herein:
West Australian
5 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Bonanza grade gold in rock chips for Infinity in northern NSW
Infinity Mining has reported bumper gold in rock chips results from its latest Sir Walter Scott gold prospect in northern New South Wales, reporting gold grades up to 68.6 grams per tonne (g/t) gold in samples near its historic gold workings. The company collected 12 rock chip samples in early July from its newest Sir Walter Scott target area, just 3 kilometres south of its flagship Cangai copper project. Six of the samples returned high-grade gold results. The samples occurred along a 1km northwest-trending structural corridor, with standout results of 68.6g/t gold, 23.3g/t and a further 9.19g/t sample. The recently identified area features historic mine workings and has become a growing focus of Infinity's eastern Australian portfolio. It is 3km east of neighbour Novo Resources' historic John Bull mine, within the same interpreted but never-drilled structural corridor. The company says its high-grade assays occurred in laminated quartz veins exhibiting minor sulphides, such as pyrite, galena and sphalerite, aligning with sampling from the 1980s. The Sir Walter Scott prospect was discovered in 1872 and historically produced 1790 ounces of gold from 2203 tonnes of ore at an average head grade of about 25g/t gold, or nearly an ounce per tonne of dirt. Hosted within the carboniferous Gundahl complex, the mineralisation occurs in quartz-sulphide veins within steeply dipping chloritic shear zones. The company hopes the prospect is part of a larger intrusion-related gold system, a hypothesis also proposed for Novo's nearby John Bull gold project. Novo recently reported anomalous rock chip samples and drill intercepts at John Bull, with promising peak assays up to 67.9g/t gold – nearly as good as Infinity's. Infinity believes that its latest results, coupled with the lack of modern exploration at Sir Walter Scott, position the prospect as a compelling target for further work. A follow-up field program is slated for the coming months, focusing on detailed geological and structural mapping alongside surface geochemical sampling to verify historical results and better define future potential drill targets. The company is also focussed on its flagship Cangai copper mine, to Sir Walter's north. The project is one of the highest-grade copper mines in NSW, hosting a 4.4-million-tonne resource at 2.5 per cent copper. It also has credits for zinc, gold and silver, typical of a volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit. Cangai produced 4950t of copper, 52.7 kilograms of gold and 1035kg of silver from 77,000t of ore, making it one of NSW's highest-grade and most successful early 20th-century copper mines. Infinity's broader portfolio spans 3700 square kilometres across NSW's Macquarie Arc, Victoria's Melbourne Zone and Western Australia's East Pilbara and Central Goldfields. With gold prices remaining strong, the company's focus on its eastern Australian assets positions Infinity to capitalise on a first potential drilling program at Sir Walter Scott. The follow-up results will be key, however for now, it looks like Infinity could be well on the way to a new NSW gold discovery. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist suffers life-threatening injuries in Tuesday crash near Brookside
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A motorcyclist was hospitalized Tuesday night with life-threatening injuries after they crashed into a car near the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City. According to the Kansas City Police Department, just before 9:45 p.m., officers were called to the intersection of Gregory Boulevard and Wornall Road on reports of a crash. Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle was driving south on Wornall when they ran through a red light. 74-year-old woman killed in dump truck crash at 69 Highway in Clay County At the same time, the driver of an Infinity G35, who had a green light, was driving west on Gregory and entered the intersection. According to KCPD, the motorcyclist hit the front end of the Infinity, forcing them off the motorcycle. Emergency responders took the motorcyclist to a hospital, where they are currently suffering from life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Infinity was uninjured in the crash. KCPD is still investigating the cause of the crash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Looking for something to read? Here are 10 new books to try
This week's books range from an incongruously sunny haunted-house thriller and some high-ocatane espionage to a celebration of the joys of reading and the history of the dingo species. Happy reading! FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK Notes on Infinity Austin Taylor Michael Joseph, $34.99 Notes on Infinity reminded me of the recent reports of scientific fraud by cancer researcher Professor Mark Smyth. It's science fiction, yes, but it also dives into the cutthroat world of contemporary biomedical research with great perspicacity and psychological insight. Jack and Zoe are gifted scientists who meet in a chemistry lab at MIT. A shared passion for their field predates any romance, and when their research into ageing suggests a treatment to increase human longevity might be viable and just around the corner, research grants and venture capital pour in. Within a few years, they've formed a company that could revolutionise not just the way we live, but how long we live for. But is their venture all it claims to be? As the pair fall genuinely in love, difficult truths – and worse, deceptions – will emerge from the trail of their ambition. Scandal and disaster lie in wait. Taylor has an absorbing writing style, and this sharply crafted campus romance swings effortlessly into the high-pressure environment of scientific research. It also introduces a change of perspective midway, complicating motivations and anchoring the book's inevitable sweep into genuine tragedy. Gothic fiction is supposed to be one of the shadowy arts. Drear and darkness. Fog and fen. Brooding gloom of one kind or another. Sunny days? Not so much, although Rebecca Starford's The Visitor goes to great lengths to invert the usual genre conventions and let the sunshine in. In this haunted house story, expat Laura returns from the UK to Brisbane, following her parents' sudden and mysterious demise in the Queensland outback. Laura must organise their affairs and sell her childhood home, and her 14-year-old daughter Tilly tags along for the ride – only to become increasingly concerned at her mother's strange behaviour. Bizarre events make Tilly wonder if the house might be truly haunted although, with a nosey neighbour in the mix, it's possible a more sinister human plot is afoot. And what of Laura's parents? Were they attempting to escape from the house when they met their deaths? As the characters confront the uncanny, buried trauma comes to light, promised shadows appear, and the novel's disorientations settle into a more classic, if sunlit, gothic tale. Some small fraction of espionage fiction is written by spooks and former spooks. Stella Rimington – the former director general of MI5 – turned to novel-writing in her retirement and Jack Beaumont, as a former French intelligence operative himself, has the same kind of cred. Liar's Game continues the globetrotting action series begun in The Frenchman. This time, French spy Alec de Payns is tasked with safely escorting a North Korean defector, who claims to have knowledge of a cyberattack which could destroy the global economy. When the defector dies in his arms before sharing crucial intel, the failure attracts the ire of his superiors, and it isn't long before another mission unravels. Suddenly, Alec is hung out to dry. He finds himself alone, hunted across South-East Asia and forced to rely on tradecraft to stay ahead of both the law and the lawless, on a solo mission to protect his family from retribution, and root out a sinister conspiracy that wants him dead. It's another fast-paced, high-octane contemporary spy novel from Beaumont, sure to please existing fans of the series and attract new ones into the fold. Eden Mark Brandi Hachette, $32.99 Ex-con Tom Blackburn has been inside for nine years, serving time for accessory to murder. Upon his release, his already narrow chances at rebuilding a life dwindle through further misfortune. He winds up sleeping rough and, following a tip, heads to the Melbourne General Cemetery to find somewhere among the graves. There, he encounters the overseer of the grounds, Cyril, and lucks onto a job as a casual caretaker, with a roof over his head to boot. But the past isn't done with Tom. A journalist is piqued by the mystery of how he came to be involved in the crime that sent him to jail, with questions that bring danger and trauma to the surface. Meanwhile, Cyril offers him a Faustian bargain that could turn what at first, seemed to be a source of sanctuary into a hellish position indeed. Melbourne – and particularly, its famed cemetery – are vividly depicted in Mark Brandi's Eden, and the novel explores gritty social and ethical problems with more intelligence and conscience than most crime fiction. Climbing in Heels Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas Corvus, $34.99 The hottest talent agency in 1980s Hollywood is about to get a shake-up. Three young secretaries are on the rise – fast-talking Valley Girl Beanie Rosen; posh and well-connected English beauty Mercedes Baxter; and Ella Gaddy, a blueblood from Kentucky – and they're determined to stake a claim in what remains solidly Mad Men territory. They'll execute a hostile takeover… or resort to tricks that make the Hollywood swamp so slimy, if that's what it takes. The tale of ambitious women in the pre-#Me Too Hollywood landscape could have been fascinating. Unfortunately, the book droops languidly in the middle, there's rather a lot of not-very-well-written sex in it, and the author seems to become sidetracked by the hedonism and corruption (and big hair) of '80s Hollywood, without advancing the plot. Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas has come up with a promising idea for a female friends and avengers narrative – the protagonists become almost the Charlie's Angels of Hollywood talent agents – but it's let down in the execution. NON-FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation Curated by Jennie Orchard Scribe, $35 'Good luck hides inside bad luck.' Novelist Nguyen Phan Que Mai knows this Vietnamese proverb to be true. When creditors came to claim her family's possessions, the only things they didn't seize were her books. During the dark time that followed, reading became her refuge. In these essays, writers reflect on the books that captured their imaginations when they were young and how they try to instil a passion for reading in the next generation. For Tristan Bancks, a storyteller for page and screen, life changed forever at the age of seven when he and some friends found Where Did I Come From? on the bookshelf. It was, they thought, 'the funniest, weirdest, most mind-boggling book on the planet.' He showed it to more friends and in this way reading became a communal and subversive pursuit. Helping kids fall under the spell of books has never been more urgent. Recent reports show reading for pleasure among children has slumped in Australia. This inspiring collection testifies to the life-changing power of books in a child's life. Plain Life. On thinking, feeling and deciding Antonia Pont NewSouth, $34.99 The word 'plain' is so wonderfully at odds with our flashy, extreme, hungry times. To live a plain life, says Antonia Pont, is to decide that your life is intrinsically 'enough'. This is not a form of low expectations or political acquiescence. If anything, it is a refusal of neoliberalism and the penetration of marketplace values into every aspect of life. As such a stance suggests, Plain Life is not a self-help book offering easily digestible rules for living. Pont's elliptical, playful, philosophical style requires readers slow down and observe the workings of their own minds, be curious about the fears they've suppressed and dare to feel them, and become aware of how they collude in their own misery. Drawing on her practice as a yoga teacher, she urges us to stay in the middle of our experience, the place where we can 'take a tiny holiday from a fixed perspective' and find a vast freedom in that. While this is not a straightforward read, the demands of Plain Life are well worth the effort. The Eagle & the Crow JM Field UQP, $24.99 This is not a book that lends itself to synopsis. In fact, it actively resists the reductive nature of such an enterprise. JM Field, a Gamilaraay man, is primarily speaking to his own people about their kinship system and how it endures in practice and in the 'libraries' held in the heads of Aunties. The system remains robust, he says because 'the architects of it, our old people, created a way of relating, and therefore organising, that colonisation could not break.' While general readers cannot expect to fathom the intricate mathematical nature of this kinship system because they are not of it and have not imbibed it through community, we are left with a better understanding of the complexity and vitality of Indigenous relations and the limits of our own world view. Field combines pithy, poetic statements with a series of essays that contrast Western approaches to knowledge as distinct disciplines 'ripped from context' and Indigenous knowledge in which kinship systems allow for 'participation in something much larger than ourselves.' As you'd expect, there are some dramatic rescue stories in this collection of tales from surf lifesavers. But it's the community, camaraderie and competition surf clubs provide that dominate these yarns. A recurring theme from club elders, many of whom remember the days of the old reel and line, is the thrill of surf-boat races, particularly the George Bass Surf Boat Marathon covering 200 kilometres along the NSW's south coast. A lifesaver from Darwin was 65 when she was asked to join a crew for the event. As she observes with laconic understatement, it was a challenge given the 'dubious ocean conditions' but 'it turned out okay'. This kind of grit is typical of these stories, along with a larrikin spirit and sense of humour. Many people, says John Baker, national president of Surf Lifesaving Australia, think 'we're just a mob of fit people hanging around the beach, wearing funny red and yellow caps', when they are, in fact, a well-trained emergency service dealing with all sorts of trauma. One of the many dissonances of the dingo story is that while Australians were happy to demonise this canine for preying on livestock, we were still ready to believe that Lindy Chamberlain, rather than a dingo, killed her baby. The dingo became an official outlaw after the passing of The Native Dogs Destruction Act in 1875, and it was said that it would be a blessing when this 'untameable brute' was made extinct. When Mark Twain came to Australia 20 years later, he saw a very different creature – 'shapely, graceful, a little wolfish but with a most friendly eye and sociable disposition.' Long before the arrival of Europeans, the dingo had a close relationship with Aboriginal people and had been incorporated into their Dreaming as a spiritual icon. In this history of the dingo, Roland Breckwoldt charts our evolving understanding of this now-threatened native animal.
The Age
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Looking for something to read? Here are 10 new books to try
This week's books range from an incongruously sunny haunted-house thriller and some high-ocatane espionage to a celebration of the joys of reading and the history of the dingo species. Happy reading! FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK Notes on Infinity Austin Taylor Michael Joseph, $34.99 Notes on Infinity reminded me of the recent reports of scientific fraud by cancer researcher Professor Mark Smyth. It's science fiction, yes, but it also dives into the cutthroat world of contemporary biomedical research with great perspicacity and psychological insight. Jack and Zoe are gifted scientists who meet in a chemistry lab at MIT. A shared passion for their field predates any romance, and when their research into ageing suggests a treatment to increase human longevity might be viable and just around the corner, research grants and venture capital pour in. Within a few years, they've formed a company that could revolutionise not just the way we live, but how long we live for. But is their venture all it claims to be? As the pair fall genuinely in love, difficult truths – and worse, deceptions – will emerge from the trail of their ambition. Scandal and disaster lie in wait. Taylor has an absorbing writing style, and this sharply crafted campus romance swings effortlessly into the high-pressure environment of scientific research. It also introduces a change of perspective midway, complicating motivations and anchoring the book's inevitable sweep into genuine tragedy. Gothic fiction is supposed to be one of the shadowy arts. Drear and darkness. Fog and fen. Brooding gloom of one kind or another. Sunny days? Not so much, although Rebecca Starford's The Visitor goes to great lengths to invert the usual genre conventions and let the sunshine in. In this haunted house story, expat Laura returns from the UK to Brisbane, following her parents' sudden and mysterious demise in the Queensland outback. Laura must organise their affairs and sell her childhood home, and her 14-year-old daughter Tilly tags along for the ride – only to become increasingly concerned at her mother's strange behaviour. Bizarre events make Tilly wonder if the house might be truly haunted although, with a nosey neighbour in the mix, it's possible a more sinister human plot is afoot. And what of Laura's parents? Were they attempting to escape from the house when they met their deaths? As the characters confront the uncanny, buried trauma comes to light, promised shadows appear, and the novel's disorientations settle into a more classic, if sunlit, gothic tale. Some small fraction of espionage fiction is written by spooks and former spooks. Stella Rimington – the former director general of MI5 – turned to novel-writing in her retirement and Jack Beaumont, as a former French intelligence operative himself, has the same kind of cred. Liar's Game continues the globetrotting action series begun in The Frenchman. This time, French spy Alec de Payns is tasked with safely escorting a North Korean defector, who claims to have knowledge of a cyberattack which could destroy the global economy. When the defector dies in his arms before sharing crucial intel, the failure attracts the ire of his superiors, and it isn't long before another mission unravels. Suddenly, Alec is hung out to dry. He finds himself alone, hunted across South-East Asia and forced to rely on tradecraft to stay ahead of both the law and the lawless, on a solo mission to protect his family from retribution, and root out a sinister conspiracy that wants him dead. It's another fast-paced, high-octane contemporary spy novel from Beaumont, sure to please existing fans of the series and attract new ones into the fold. Eden Mark Brandi Hachette, $32.99 Ex-con Tom Blackburn has been inside for nine years, serving time for accessory to murder. Upon his release, his already narrow chances at rebuilding a life dwindle through further misfortune. He winds up sleeping rough and, following a tip, heads to the Melbourne General Cemetery to find somewhere among the graves. There, he encounters the overseer of the grounds, Cyril, and lucks onto a job as a casual caretaker, with a roof over his head to boot. But the past isn't done with Tom. A journalist is piqued by the mystery of how he came to be involved in the crime that sent him to jail, with questions that bring danger and trauma to the surface. Meanwhile, Cyril offers him a Faustian bargain that could turn what at first, seemed to be a source of sanctuary into a hellish position indeed. Melbourne – and particularly, its famed cemetery – are vividly depicted in Mark Brandi's Eden, and the novel explores gritty social and ethical problems with more intelligence and conscience than most crime fiction. Climbing in Heels Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas Corvus, $34.99 The hottest talent agency in 1980s Hollywood is about to get a shake-up. Three young secretaries are on the rise – fast-talking Valley Girl Beanie Rosen; posh and well-connected English beauty Mercedes Baxter; and Ella Gaddy, a blueblood from Kentucky – and they're determined to stake a claim in what remains solidly Mad Men territory. They'll execute a hostile takeover… or resort to tricks that make the Hollywood swamp so slimy, if that's what it takes. The tale of ambitious women in the pre-#Me Too Hollywood landscape could have been fascinating. Unfortunately, the book droops languidly in the middle, there's rather a lot of not-very-well-written sex in it, and the author seems to become sidetracked by the hedonism and corruption (and big hair) of '80s Hollywood, without advancing the plot. Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas has come up with a promising idea for a female friends and avengers narrative – the protagonists become almost the Charlie's Angels of Hollywood talent agents – but it's let down in the execution. NON-FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation Curated by Jennie Orchard Scribe, $35 'Good luck hides inside bad luck.' Novelist Nguyen Phan Que Mai knows this Vietnamese proverb to be true. When creditors came to claim her family's possessions, the only things they didn't seize were her books. During the dark time that followed, reading became her refuge. In these essays, writers reflect on the books that captured their imaginations when they were young and how they try to instil a passion for reading in the next generation. For Tristan Bancks, a storyteller for page and screen, life changed forever at the age of seven when he and some friends found Where Did I Come From? on the bookshelf. It was, they thought, 'the funniest, weirdest, most mind-boggling book on the planet.' He showed it to more friends and in this way reading became a communal and subversive pursuit. Helping kids fall under the spell of books has never been more urgent. Recent reports show reading for pleasure among children has slumped in Australia. This inspiring collection testifies to the life-changing power of books in a child's life. Plain Life. On thinking, feeling and deciding Antonia Pont NewSouth, $34.99 The word 'plain' is so wonderfully at odds with our flashy, extreme, hungry times. To live a plain life, says Antonia Pont, is to decide that your life is intrinsically 'enough'. This is not a form of low expectations or political acquiescence. If anything, it is a refusal of neoliberalism and the penetration of marketplace values into every aspect of life. As such a stance suggests, Plain Life is not a self-help book offering easily digestible rules for living. Pont's elliptical, playful, philosophical style requires readers slow down and observe the workings of their own minds, be curious about the fears they've suppressed and dare to feel them, and become aware of how they collude in their own misery. Drawing on her practice as a yoga teacher, she urges us to stay in the middle of our experience, the place where we can 'take a tiny holiday from a fixed perspective' and find a vast freedom in that. While this is not a straightforward read, the demands of Plain Life are well worth the effort. The Eagle & the Crow JM Field UQP, $24.99 This is not a book that lends itself to synopsis. In fact, it actively resists the reductive nature of such an enterprise. JM Field, a Gamilaraay man, is primarily speaking to his own people about their kinship system and how it endures in practice and in the 'libraries' held in the heads of Aunties. The system remains robust, he says because 'the architects of it, our old people, created a way of relating, and therefore organising, that colonisation could not break.' While general readers cannot expect to fathom the intricate mathematical nature of this kinship system because they are not of it and have not imbibed it through community, we are left with a better understanding of the complexity and vitality of Indigenous relations and the limits of our own world view. Field combines pithy, poetic statements with a series of essays that contrast Western approaches to knowledge as distinct disciplines 'ripped from context' and Indigenous knowledge in which kinship systems allow for 'participation in something much larger than ourselves.' As you'd expect, there are some dramatic rescue stories in this collection of tales from surf lifesavers. But it's the community, camaraderie and competition surf clubs provide that dominate these yarns. A recurring theme from club elders, many of whom remember the days of the old reel and line, is the thrill of surf-boat races, particularly the George Bass Surf Boat Marathon covering 200 kilometres along the NSW's south coast. A lifesaver from Darwin was 65 when she was asked to join a crew for the event. As she observes with laconic understatement, it was a challenge given the 'dubious ocean conditions' but 'it turned out okay'. This kind of grit is typical of these stories, along with a larrikin spirit and sense of humour. Many people, says John Baker, national president of Surf Lifesaving Australia, think 'we're just a mob of fit people hanging around the beach, wearing funny red and yellow caps', when they are, in fact, a well-trained emergency service dealing with all sorts of trauma. One of the many dissonances of the dingo story is that while Australians were happy to demonise this canine for preying on livestock, we were still ready to believe that Lindy Chamberlain, rather than a dingo, killed her baby. The dingo became an official outlaw after the passing of The Native Dogs Destruction Act in 1875, and it was said that it would be a blessing when this 'untameable brute' was made extinct. When Mark Twain came to Australia 20 years later, he saw a very different creature – 'shapely, graceful, a little wolfish but with a most friendly eye and sociable disposition.' Long before the arrival of Europeans, the dingo had a close relationship with Aboriginal people and had been incorporated into their Dreaming as a spiritual icon. In this history of the dingo, Roland Breckwoldt charts our evolving understanding of this now-threatened native animal.
