Latest News

January 09, 2025

Each month Tough Guy Book Club sets a challenge to all members with the aim of adding something to their story. Sometimes the challenge will really push you outside of your comfort zone. In June, the TGBC goons were thrown a real curveball: time...

December 23, 2024

Chapter:  Brunswick East  What’s your story?  I’m a book loving, avidly reading, humbly writing, VHS collecting, metalhead from Tassie, who's called Melbourne second home for the last decade.   How long have you been with TGBC? First Book?  Just coming up on two years, my...

December 18, 2024

Every month Tough Guy Book Club invites all members to complete a monthly challenge. They are meant to challenge you, shake up your month, and add a page to your story. September's challenge was to go on a journey, a bar crawl with fellow...

December 03, 2024

Chapter:  Surf Coast  What’s your story?  I’m a husband and a father of two young boys who’s lucky enough to live on the Surf Coast of Victoria. I’ve always loved reading and talking about books, as well as movies. This year I’ve also taken...

December 01, 2024

The Tough Guy Book club are honoured to announce Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC, Governor of Victoria as the club’s patron.   Tough Guy Book Club (TGBC) is a network of men’s book clubs that meet in local pubs with the aim...

November 22, 2024

This week, Officers from Tough Guy Book Club put down this month’s book and pick up something just as crucial - a deeper understanding of family and gender-based violence.   Safe and Equal is Victoria’s peak body for organisations specialising in family and gender-based violence....

October 24, 2024

Hey, what did you do last month? Well, if you are a member of Tough Guy Book Club (TGBC) the answer may well have been, “I climbed a damn mountain and read a book on top of it!”   Each month TGBC issues a challenge...

October 17, 2024

Name  Kane Casson  Chapter:  Gladstone  What’s your story?  I'm Kane, grew up in CQ, but back when I was 17 and finished school, I could not wait the GTFO. I went to Brissie for uni and got drunk and hurt myself more often than...

September 19, 2024

The usual habitat for the goons of Tough Guy Book Club (TGBC) is in pubs and bars around the world, while engaged in heated debate, putting robust discussions back into these venues one book at a time. So how does the club respond to...

June 29, 2024

We reckon we have some great traditions at Tough Guy Book Club: monthly challenges, Hemingway month, book swap. A big one we like to do each year is Bourdain Day.  It’s named after a chef TV writer guy that one of our founding members,...

June 01, 2024

Name: Jack Kennedy Chapter: Hamilton, Vic Who are you? I'm a young father, learning husband, footballer, dog-lover, book reader (and listener), runner, beer enjoyer, CFA and SES member, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu white belt, vinyl collector, gamer, hobby-tryer, socialiser, committee joiner, bird-watcher, DIY-fixer and most importantly...

May 29, 2024

Back in July 2022, Tough Guy Book Club set a monthly challenge to give blood under the hashtag #newbloods. Monthly challenges are a thing we do. As well as reading the book (technically we're still a book club) our goons are given homework -...

May 02, 2024

Tough Guy Book Club #GetCooked challenge recipe Ingredients One Goon. A challenging recipe (see cooking tip). A dollop of enthusiasm. Photographic evidence. No BBQs. No comfort zones. Cooking Tip “Challenging recipe” is relative. This challenge isn’t about being a good cook, it’s about being...

April 11, 2024

Name: Dylan McCarthy Chapter: Broome Who are you? I'm a Gooniyandi, Kija and Bardi Man from the Kimberley region, a family man, a husband and soon to be a father, of which I'm both excited and nervous about. I love my books and gaming...

April 01, 2024

Back in July 2023, Tough Guy Book Club were challenged to get their eyes checked under the hashtag #lookout. Why we had to do this, we were told, was a long story. Here now with permission is that story in full. It's a rollercoaster,...

March 27, 2024

Cincinnati is located on the boarder of Ohio and Kentucky in the Midwest of America. Its famous for its chili, which is sauce like and eaten with spaghetti – don’t knock it because it’s bloody good, but mostly because they take it very seriously!...

March 15, 2024

Name:  Anish Sonar Chapter: Altona ChapterWhat’s your story? My family moved to Melbourne from India when I was 15. I arrived on the weekend, went shopping for school gear and was straight into it on the Monday. Not a very long run-up.Reflecting on my...

March 13, 2024

On the first day there was music and dancing. Licola Wilderness Village saw the arrival of many goons across the afternoon on Friday as The Camp of the Dark Moon got underway. Carpools picked up from local areas, airports, and from much further afield...

February 05, 2024

Towards the end of the year Tough Guy Book Club engages in a traditional Book Swap where every member who signs up is assigned a name and address of another participant, at random, and sends them a book they love, off their shelf or...

December 12, 2023

Name: Ben Mitchell Chapter: Mayfield Who are you? My name is Ben. I am a 26-year-old who is really passionate about reading and travelling the world. Still trying to figure all the rest though. How long have you been with TGBC? First Book? I’ve...

October 18, 2023

Each month the Tough Guy Book Club issues a challenge to all members. Some challenges are fun, some are creative, others are health-related – those ones are bloody important and can be lifesaving! In October all goons were tasked to go out and get...

September 23, 2023

Tough Guy Book Club was born on a pub crawl through Brunswick, Victoria in August 2013, we reckoned the best way to celebrate the club turning 10 would be for each chapter of TBGC hold a pub crawl through their town – so that’s...

August 10, 2023

Name: Thomas Giles Chapter: Gold Coast Chapter - President Who are you: I’m 36 and still don't know for sure. Son, Brother, Father, Punk Rock Warlord. Protector of the principles of science and logic. Cricket tragic and closet Pyromaniac. How long have you been...

May 17, 2023

Tough Guy Book Club is more than just a bunch of guys meeting at the pub once a month. We do a lot of other stuff outside of chapter meetings of course, and one of those things is our monthly challenge. But, since we...

April 19, 2023

Glossy metal - usually brass, aluminium or similar. Most often rectangular and, if so, about A5 in size. Other shapes, too, but – ironically - rarely large enough to attract attention. Plaques. They occupy corners in communities and hearts across the country. At the...