Book Club Night Kit

Sometimes I Scare Myself

Jeneva Rose

Cozy night

Three short horror stories from thriller favorite Jeneva Rose, perfect for a club that wants chills in bite-size servings and a lot to talk about afterward. Because each story stands alone, everyone arrives with something to say, even the person who read it in one sitting the night before.

Three Scary Stories, One Very Soft Couch

Bring your copy of Jeneva Rose's 'Sometimes I Scare Myself' and your favorite blanket. There will be chili, warm cider, hand pies, and a small amount of pleasant dread.

Reading level: Easy

Best for: A club that likes a little dread with their blanket and mug, and would rather swap feelings than dissect symbolism

Discussion

Warm-up

1.Where did you do most of your reading for this one, and did you need a lamp on? Describe your actual setup, blanket and snack included.
2.Three stories, three flavors of fear. Which title pulled you in before you read a word: 'Never Kill the Medium,' 'The Nightmare House,' or 'All Curses Are Final'?

Digging in

1.'The Nightmare House' plays on the idea that a home can turn against you. What is one small sound or quirk in your own home that has made your stomach drop, even when you knew it was nothing?
2.Horror can be strangely comforting. Did any part of reading this feel cozy to you, the way a scary story around a fire does, and what made it feel that way instead of just unsettling?
3.'Never Kill the Medium' sits in the world of people who claim to speak with the dead. Have you ever had a reading, a Ouija board night, or a fortune told to you? How did you feel walking away from it?
4.Rose builds dread in very few pages. Was there a moment where you felt your shoulders climb up toward your ears, and did you keep reading or put the book down and go get a snack? No wrong answer here.

Going deep

1.'All Curses Are Final' suggests some things cannot be undone. Without giving anything away, did the collection leave you feeling that people get what is coming to them, or that fate is just indifferent? Which of those is more comforting to you personally?
2.Of the three, which one stayed with you after you closed the book, and what did it stir up in you? Think less about craft and more about what it touched: a worry you carry, a place you lived, a person you miss.

On the table & to sip

To eat

Haunted house chili with cornbread on the side

A big warm pot you can ladle from all night. It is the dish you want when the story is set in a house you would never sleep in, and it lets guests settle in with a bowl on their lap.

Medium-rare cheddar and apple grilled cheese, cut into small triangles

A gentle nod to 'Never Kill the Medium' and an excuse for the warmest, most indulgent comfort food there is. Easy to make in batches and pass around on a tray.

Spiced apple hand pies with a knife slit on top

Three stories, three bites each. The sealed, slightly ominous little pastries fit the curse-and-consequence mood while tasting entirely like autumn kindness.

To sip

Mulled cider with cinnamon, orange and star anise (non-alcoholic) (no alcohol)

Keep it warm on the stove so the whole house smells like a safe place. The ideal thing to hold while someone describes the creepiest room they ever slept in.

Hot buttered rum, 'for courage'

Rich, buttery and a little indulgent, exactly what you want between stories. Offer it as an optional pour alongside the cider.

Red wine with a splash of the cider, served warm

A casual, low-effort mulled wine that leans into the fireside-tale feeling without any cocktail shaking.