Latest News

April 22, 2025

Every month Tough Guy Book Club sets a challenge to all members. These challenges are to add a page to your story, because at TGBC we are obsessed with stories. For March 2025 the goons were asked to go get their cholesterol checked and...

March 25, 2025

Name:  Ben Scotcher  Chapter:  Townsville (and Surf Coast before that)  What’s your story?  I think, at 42 years old, that I'm starting to figure this out. I'm a good father, partner, son, friend and Goon, despite the annoying part of my mind that loves...

February 28, 2025

Things break. It’s one of the worst things about things. We live in an age where broken things are usually get replaced or thrown out. Which sucks, because it’s wasteful and makes us feel hopeless, like we can’t fix anything. But this is Tough...

February 05, 2025

It's February 2025. Tonight, as we do every month on the first Wednesday of each month, our Chapters of Tough Guy Book Club will get together in the pub, to discuss the latest book, as part of our 13 year long mission to get more...

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 10, 2024

At Tough Guy Book Club each month, we issue a challenge to all members. When one of our recent book’s characters had some seriously questionable habits, it made sense that our goons should be challenged to ask the question, “What, hard as it might...

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 30, 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...

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 31, 2024

Name:  Graeme Salt  Chapter:  Sydney City (but like turning up at other Chapters!)  What is your story?  Bloody good question! I am not 100 per cent sure and desperate to avoid a mid-life a crisis. A divorced dad with two adult children and an...

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...

September 17, 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...

July 31, 2024

Something we do each month at Tough Guy Book Club (TGBC) is set a challenge, daring all members to complete a task and post a photo as proof on our Pool Hall Facebook page. Some challenges are fun, some are difficult, many can push...

July 15, 2024

Name:  Desmond Doyle  Chapter:  Mayfield  What is your story?  I reckon I have lived a few different lives so far and have enjoyed them all. I moved around a lot as a kid (Defence Brat) and continued to move around throughout my life. Not...

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 14, 2024

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...

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...