Book Club Night Kit

Grim Tidings

B.K. Borison

Cozy night

A Grim Reaper who would rather not do harm teams up with a Guardian Angel, and the result is tender, funny, and surprisingly soft for a story about death. It is the kind of paranormal romance that makes a room sigh out loud.

Death Is Coming To Dinner (He Is Bringing Feelings)

Come read about a Grim Reaper trying very hard not to hurt anyone and the Guardian Angel who ends up on his side. Soup is on the stove, blankets are on the couch, and we are talking about what made us melt.

Reading level: Easy

Best for: Clubs that read for comfort and swoon, and want to talk about feelings more than symbolism

Discussion

Warm-up

1.Before we talk about the book at all: on a scale of blanket to weighted blanket, how comforted did this one leave you feeling?
2.A Grim Reaper and a Guardian Angel walk into an alliance. What was the first moment in their dynamic that made you smile or laugh out loud?

Digging in

1.This book gives us a reaper who does not want to cause harm. How did it feel to be asked to care about Death as a soft, tired, well-meaning person?
2.Guardian Angels exist to keep people safe. Who has played that role in your own life, quietly and without much credit?
3.The whole story lives in the space between ending things and protecting things. Which of those two instincts feels more like you on an ordinary Tuesday?
4.Borison writes comfort into the middle of a dark premise. Where did you feel the warmth strongest: the humor, the small kindnesses, or the way the characters kept showing up for each other?

Going deep

1.Both leads are stuck inside roles they were handed rather than chose. Without giving away where they land, when did you feel most tender toward one of them for trying to be good inside a job that does not reward it?
2.If you could have handed one of these two a mug of something hot and said one sentence to them, at what point in the story would you have done it, and what would you have said?

On the table & to sip

To eat

Soul-warming chicken and dumplings

Nothing says 'the reaper is off duty tonight' like a pot of something that has been simmering for hours. Make it ahead, keep it on low, let people ladle their own.

Deviled egg 'halos'

A cheeky nod to the Guardian Angel side of the pairing, and the single easiest make-ahead snack that still feels like someone fussed over you.

Warm skillet brownies with vanilla ice cream

Dark on top, soft in the middle, better with something sweet beside it, which is more or less the whole premise of this book. Serve straight from the pan with a stack of spoons.

To sip

Bonfire cider (non-alcoholic) (no alcohol)

Cloudy apple cider warmed with cinnamon sticks, orange peel, and a star anise or two. Smells like the house is hugging people as they arrive.

Hot toddy, reaper's rest

Whiskey, honey, lemon, hot water, one clove. A drink for someone who has had a very long shift and needs the ache taken out of it.

Spiked hot chocolate with a marshmallow cloud

Cocoa with a splash of Irish cream and a toasted marshmallow on top, for the angel half of the table. Set out both bottles and let guests decide how heavenly they want it.