Luke Bateman: Former NRL star and gambling addict, now lumberjack ‘bookfluencer’

Luke Bateman is perhaps Australia's most unlikely book critic – a former rugby league star and recovered gambling addict who works as a logger on a remote Queensland property. While hardly your average inner-city literary type, Bateman had always loved reading – especially fantasy books – but living in the bush with only black snakes for company, had no one to talk to about it. So one day in April last year, he posted a clip of himself on TikTok, talking about his love of books. The post made him famous – he now has more than a million social media followers, including Reese Witherspoon. His mission: to make reading cool again, and he is most definitely succeeding. Today's episode is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Tim Elliott. (Please note, this conversation deals with difficult topics – from addiction to suicide. If you are seeking help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.)

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Luke Bateman: Former NRL star and gambling addict, now lumberjack ‘bookfluencer’ is an episode from Good Weekend Talks by Good Weekend.

This episode is 40:42 long.

This episode was published on Apr 17, 2026.

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