Book Club Night Kit
18 Days In Heaven
Gabe Poirot
Cozy night
A story built around eighteen days in heaven, with a gentle, hopeful premise that invites readers to share their own ideas of peace, home, and the people they hope to see again. It is an easy book to open up about over something warm to drink.
Eighteen Days in Heaven, One Cozy Night In
Bring your comfiest socks and your open heart for warm drinks, pot pie, and gentle conversation about 18 Days In Heaven by Gabe Poirot. Blankets and cocoa provided.
Reading level: Easy
Best for: A close-knit club that likes heartfelt, soft-spoken conversation and doesn't mind a few happy tears over dessert
Discussion
Warm-up
- 1.Before you opened the book, what picture came to mind when you read the title? Did it feel hopeful, curious, a little nerve-wracking, or something else?
- 2.If you could spend eighteen days anywhere that feels like pure peace to you, where would you be and who would be there with you?
Digging in
- 1.Which moment or image in the book felt most like a warm blanket to you, and why do you think it landed so softly?
- 2.The book asks us to imagine a place of complete rest. What small, everyday things in your own life already feel like a little glimpse of heaven?
- 3.Did reading this bring anyone you love to mind, maybe someone you miss? If you'd like to, tell us a little about them.
- 4.Was there a passage you slowed down on, reread, or wanted to read aloud to someone? What made it feel so personal?
Going deep
- 1.Stories about heaven often change how people feel about their ordinary days here. Having finished the book, is there anything you want to do more gently, more often, or with more gratitude?
- 2.Did the book comfort you, stir up questions, or do a bit of both? How are you feeling now, compared with when you started?
On the table & to sip
To eat
Angel Food Cake with Warm Berry Compote and Whipped Cream
A soft, cloud-light nod to the heavenly setting, made indulgent with a warm fruit topping. A store-bought cake keeps it easy.
Chicken Pot Pie (or Individual Pot Pie Bites)
The kind of homey dish that tastes like being welcomed home, which fits a story about peace and belonging. Puff pastry tops make it doable.
Pull-Apart Cinnamon Rolls
Warm, golden, and made for sharing from one pan, a little taste of 'heavenly' comfort that fills the room with a welcoming smell.
To sip
Honey Lavender Milk Steamer (no alcohol)
A calming, gently sweet warm drink that echoes the book's restful mood. Easy to make on the stove in one pot.
Cloud Nine Hot Cocoa with Toasted Marshmallows (no alcohol)
Rich cocoa topped with a fluffy cloud of marshmallows. Great for everyone, with an optional splash of Irish cream for the grown-ups.
Slow-Cooker Mulled Wine
Warm, spiced, and fragrant, it simmers all evening so guests can refill whenever they like, keeping things unhurried.
Run of show
7:00
Warm Welcome
Greet guests with a steamer or cocoa in hand, blankets out, candles lit, and the playlist playing softly.
7:15
Comfort Supper
Serve the pot pie buffet style and let conversation wander wherever it wants. No book talk required yet.
7:45
Settle In
Move to the couches with the warm-up questions. Invite everyone to share their 'eighteen days of peace' place.
8:05
Heart-to-Heart
Pass around the theme question cards. Anyone can pick one, answer, or simply pass.
8:40
Something Sweet
Bring out angel food cake and cinnamon rolls, top up the mulled wine, and ease into the deeper questions.
9:10
Gentle Wrap-Up
Do a round of trivia for fun, fill in the scorecards, and send everyone home with a bookmark.
Host tips
- Put a small basket of tissues somewhere discreet. This book may bring up memories of loved ones, and it helps to make tears feel welcome.
- Say at the start that passing on any question is always fine, so quieter or grieving guests feel comfortable.
- Prep the pot pie filling and berry compote the day before so you're relaxing with guests instead of working in the kitchen.
Playlist
Soft, luminous acoustic songs about wonder, home, and hope, played low like candlelight
- 01 Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
- 02 I Can Only Imagine - MercyMe
- 03 Heavenly Day - Patty Griffin
- 04 Harvest Moon - Neil Young
- 05 Holocene - Bon Iver
- 06 Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
- 07 Fix You - Coldplay
- 08 Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles
Trivia
- 1.Who wrote 18 Days In Heaven? (Gabe Poirot)
- 2.In Hebrew, the letters that spell 'chai' (life) add up to what number, making it a symbol of good luck and life? (18)
- 3.Dante's Divine Comedy has three parts. Which part is set in heaven? (Paradiso)
- 4.Mitch Albom wrote a bestselling 2003 novel about an afterlife meeting with people from a man's life. What is it called? (The Five People You Meet in Heaven)
- 5.Which 2004 memoir by pastor Don Piper describes a brief heavenly experience after a car accident? (90 Minutes in Heaven)
- 6.Heaven Is for Real, a 2010 book about a young boy's reported visit to heaven, was made into a film in which year? (2014)
- 7.What light, airy cake gets its name from its cloud-like, 'heavenly' texture? (Angel food cake)
Bookmarks
Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.
“Some days feel like a glimpse of somewhere softer.”
18 Days In Heaven
Gabe Poirot
bookclubnight.com
“Rest here awhile. Everyone you love is welcome.”
18 Days In Heaven
Gabe Poirot
bookclubnight.com
“Eighteen days of peace, one warm cup at a time.”
18 Days In Heaven
Gabe Poirot
bookclubnight.com
Rate the book
Comfort Level☆☆☆☆☆
Heart-Tug Factor☆☆☆☆☆
Hopefulness☆☆☆☆☆
Cozy Reread Potential☆☆☆☆☆
Conversation Warmth☆☆☆☆☆
This book felt like a warm... ______________________
One person it made me think of: ______________________
A moment I want to hold onto: ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming
We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.