Retreat announcement
Just a quick note to let you know that Anne and I have decided to postpone our writing and yoga retreat until next spring, when the timing will hopefully work better for most people's schedules. Thank you so very much to everyone who expressed interest in coming (and especially to those of you who signed up!) We're looking forward to making this magical weekend with you on the far side of winter.
And if you are still interested in coming and want to give me some rescheduling input, that would be great. I'm thinking Memorial Day weekend might be a good time. What do you think?
Fuel for Camping
As I have mentioned in my travel posts over the past four years, my #1 vegan food tip is to pack tons of snacks. Actually, this isn't just a tip for vegans, as we discovered when traveling through Turkey during Ramadan. My sizable stash of Trader Joe's trail mix, sesame sticks, and dried fruit saved us at least one meltdown apiece.
You may also recall that one of my summer 2015 goals was to do more camping, so imagine my delight when Vegan Cuts advertised their deluxe camping box:
Thanks to this (mostly) snack box I've been introduced to several yummy new protein bar/cookie brands—Skout and Grab the Gold and Nii and NuGo Fiber d'Lish (I love Larabar, but new flavor combos are always nice)—as well as an organic, relatively-natural alternative to Red Bull called Dark Dog.
Ha, ha! Does it actually work? Well, I tried it one afternoon at Falcon Ridge while feeling fuzzy headed around 5pm—I was indeed tempted to take a nap, but at 5pm? come on—and it actually did work. Not a jarring jolt of energy, more of a ten-minutes-later oh-wow-I-feel-peppy-again sort of boost. Much, much better than Red Bull. Here's an explanation from the Dark Dog FAQ:
DARK DOG energy drinks contain the caffeine of guarana, which is much better for the stomach than the synthetic caffeine used in most other energy drinks. DARK DOG products do not contain chemical substances such as inositol or glucuronolactone that are found in other energy drinks.
It wasn't too sugary either (made with cane sugar), but I can't say I'm going to be picking up a case of it anytime soon only because I'm trying to wean myself off caffeine. (I've had several conversations lately about reducing my coffee intake, and the general advice seems to be to drink water and eat a little something, like a handful of nuts, if your energy is flagging.)
The breakfast cereal cup (with oats as well as amaranth, chia, flax, etc.) from Rokit Fuel packs ten grams of protein, twice as much as regular oatmeal, and it was really tasty too. The paper-and-plastic cup does seem wasteful though—I'd be more likely to buy it in the future if it came in little packets like regular instant oatmeal. I haven't tried the tea and coffee brew bags yet, and I am a bit skeptical, but I'll let you know in my next camping post if they're worth seeking out.
As for the toiletries, the Campn Stick (all-natural bug repellent) was wonderfully effective (I only got bitten when I neglected to use it, ha) and the Dr. Squatch soap came in handy (har har) too. I think it's marketed for men just because it has an herbal rather than a sweet or flowery scent. Actually, I rather like smelling like gold moss.
Being able to dig fun new goodies out of your bag when peckish enhances the already-awesome camping experience. Whatever you do and wherever you go, for the sake of your companions, make sure you have enough to nibble on!
(Not that I've ever been the crankypants of the group. Oh, no.) ;)
Writing + Yoga Retreat Schedule!
[Edit: This retreat has been rescheduled for May 20th-22nd, 2016. Details here.]
As promised, here's our plan for the retreat weekend. I don't want to tell you too much about the writing modules, since in some instances the unexpectedness makes the exercise more effective. I will say that the writing and yoga classes will be thematically linked, which is going to be really fun!
Friday
Snacks and introductions.
Setting our intentions for the weekend.
First writing exercise!
Dinner
Restorative Yoga practice & meditation.
Saturday
Morning Yoga practice
(Snack!)
Writing session, including a mind-mapping demonstration
Brunch
Writing session using symbols & archetypes
Free time (sauna, hike, etc.)
Dinner
Evening Kirtan & meditation.
Sunday
Morning Yoga practice
Brunch
Writing session on relationships & community
Final writing exercise and reflection
Thankfulness meditation in closing.
Drop me a line with any questions. Early-bird discount ($300 instead of $350) is good through April 15th!
Hinduism FAQ
As promised, here's the first in my series on Hinduism. I absolutely loved the class I audited at Tufts this spring, and I'm excited to share what I've learned on the blog. It's taken me so long to get this started only because (as you well know, dear reader) I have too. Many. Projects.What follows are my most basic burning questions, which our professor Brian Hatcher mostly answered in the first couple of lectures (with the exception of "om," which we came to a little later on). 
Is Hinduism a polytheistic religion?The delightfully slippery thing about Hinduism is that it can't really be classified as a polytheistic or a monotheistic religion, nor is it a unified belief system with a "central authority" like the Pope or the Dalai Lama. You can look at a list of basic tenets like this one on the Hinduism Today website, but it isn't accurate from a practical standpoint. Not every Hindu believes in reincarnation, for example, and it's estimated that only 25 to 40% of Hindus are vegetarian, so ahimsa isn't a hardfast principle either.It seems that the underlying tenet of Hinduism, the thing all Hindus would agree on, is the oneness of all creation. Each of us has a soul—atman—which is part of brahman, ultimate reality, the "cosmic soul" if you will. In this sense there is only one "god," though that "god" appears in many avatars; and because we are divine beings, we are all on a spiritual path. What are the Vedas?Amy Lou's husband Finn recently finished his Ph.D. in Sanskrit and Indian Studies (check out this gorgeous video of Indian high school students getting ready for a theatrical competition, which Finn filmed in Kerala in December 2012). They actually moved to Kerala for a year, and when Amy Lou referred to Vedic this or that, I'd have pretty much no idea what she was talking about.Now, however, I can tell you that the Vedas are the very oldest Hindu scriptures, written in Sanskrit and divided into four texts: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. The Vedas are śruti—"what is heard," or divine revelation—as opposed to smṛti, "what is remembered," wisdom gained through tradition.Each of the four texts is further subdivided into four (or five) types, the fourth being the Upanishads, which cover philosophy and spiritual principles (which is why we Westerners hear about them most often; this is where you learn about the concepts of atman and brahman).Another word I came across from time to time is "Vedanta," which means "the last" or "highest of the Veda." Vedanta originally referred to the Upanishads; now there are six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, of which Vedanta is the most prominent. What does "om" mean, anyway?"Om" (or "aum") is a sacred syllable, a primal sound or "root vibration" linking heaven and earth. It's made up of three sounds, A + U + M, which symbolize earth, heaven, and the space between. Now I understand why we chant "om" at the beginning and end of yoga class—it's the simplest and most powerful mantra there is.
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What else will I blog about in this series?
The Four Goals of Human Existence
Hinduism and Vegetarianism (you knew that was coming!)
Hinduism and Yoga (ditto!)
Hinduism, the Epics, and the Role of Women
Asceticism
The Concept of Divine Sight
This is going to be great! (If I can just get organized enough to post on a regular basis...)
Namirembe dress
The garment-a-month challenge I set for myself in January (inspired by Annika) is working out pretty well even though I am two months behind. I would never have finished five garments in six and a half months without this self-imposed motivation! 
And of course, the more I make the more compliments I get, which gets me even more psyched to start on the next project. 
On our Uganda/Rwanda trip back in August 2013, Kate and Elliot and I spent a good bit of time at a craft market in Kampala shopping for fabric. They'd just bought their house and were looking for an eye-catching print to hang on the wall, and I was hoping to find something fun but not too "busy" for a dress project. As soon as I saw this subtle and vaguely botanical print (are they berries? squash? nuts? acorns?) I knew three yards of it were coming home with me. Kate convinced the shopkeeper to cut a six-yard swathe in half (they wanted me to buy the whole thing, but I knew the three extra yards would only sit in my stash for years)—she is so good at bargaining, while I'm still working on doing it despite my discomfort. 
I think of this sewing project as the Namirembe dress because "Namirembe" comes from the Luganda word for "peace," and it's a popular name for girls. The story goes that the first Namirembe was a great benefactress in the Christian community. 
Apart from the fabric origin, I don't have much in the way of notes on this project; it's the same mash-up as the unicorn dress, Mary Adams + Simplicity 2591, but this time I included the pockets from the Simplicity pattern. The practicality is so worth the extra sewing! 
As you can tell by the photos on my news page, this has been my go-to gussied-up-authoress outfit for the past month and change (I finished it just before my NYC event on May 6th). It is flattering and funky and I get appreciative looks and gentlemanly compliments every time I wear it. My favorite comment came from my friend Jaclyn's roommate, who asked if I'd ever lived in Africa while I lounged in their hammock at a recent tea party. She'd lived in Kampala for awhile, so she recognized the fabric. 
I lined the bodice with black batiste left over from the cathedral dress, but I haven't lined the skirt yet. I really need to do that if I want to be able to wear this dress through the fall and winter. (Otherwise the fabric clings to my stockings. Slippy acetate/rayon lining = free movement.)I have to confess that when I'm almost finished with a sewing project, I get lazy. I haven't actually sewn in the bodice linings of either this dress or my unicorn dress, just basted them in place so I could wear each of them ASAP. I also had to re-sew this zipper. I showed up at Kate G's office the day of the McNally Jackson event and heard the ominous sound of snapping threads as I took off my jacket. But literary agents help you out with all kinds of things, not just book deals, haha—Kate put in a safety pin and I was good to go. 
More sewing projects to blog about soon! 
Retreat Update
Lovely people! Just wanted to let you know that Anne and I have rejigged our retreat plans to make it as affordable and convenient as possible. The retreat now runs from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon and the price is only $300 if you register by August 1st ($350 thereafter).
I'm sad we can't do a longer retreat, but a weekend session makes more sense logistically, and we can always do a longer one next year (maybe over Labor Day?) There will be a sweet little consolation though—we're putting together a workbook that will contain way more exercises and inspirational material than we could hope to cover in two days together, which means you can keep doing the deep and juicy work on your own afterward!
Interested? Get in touch!
My New Favorite Restaurant
I've been hearing about Vedge, a gourmet vegan restaurant on Locust Street in Philadelphia, for several years now. Everyone raves about it, but I didn't get my act together and make a reservation until recently. When I was home last month, I took the high speed line into the city with my friends Shveta, Helen, and Beth, and we savored a meal that totally lived up to the hype.
This is definitely a special occasion kind of place—I spent $70 altogether—but with mashed potatoes with a gorgeously cloud-like consistency, seitan that tasted exactly like grilled chicken (which I haven't eaten in more than half my lifetime, but still—so much like "the real thing" it was disconcerting!), melt-in-your-mouth mushrooms, and saffron cheesecake with rhubarb ice cream that set every tastebud alight, oh yes, the deliciousness and the specialness of it was worth every cent.
As I told a new friend over lunch at Veggie Galaxy yesterday, there's a place for every kind of veg restaurant, be it a food truck, a diner with comfort-food classics, a hippie-crunchy place like Life Alive, or a fancypants eatery like Vedge. Whatever the style, menu, or price range, I just want to see more of them!
Comet Party Writing + Yoga Retreat, take 2!
[Edit: This retreat has been rescheduled for May 20th-22nd, 2016. Updated details here.]
Remember how I'm offering my first retreat this September at lovely Bethel Farm? Alas (for me, anyway, haha), Stephen's son is getting married that week, so I needed to find a new partner. I have two very dear Jivamukti yoga teachers at Karma here in Boston—Fiona McQuade and Anne Wichmann—and Anne is going to co-teach the retreat. We are so excited we can't even tell you! Friday Thursday, September 10th 11th through Sunday, September 13th!
Here is the new flyer, which we'll be posting alllllll over Boston very soon:
Cost is $350 $415, inclusive of all but travel ($300 early bird!) Visit the Bethel Farm website to get a feel for the atmosphere! Please note that accommodation is dorm style. If you're without wheels, we'll most likely be able to hook you up with a ride share, so no worries on that account.
I should also clarify that while the yoga classes will be suitable for beginners, I'd say adventurous beginners will be most comfortable. I define "adventurous beginner" as someone who is determined to feel good about what their body can do for them in the present moment. (So you see, absolutely anyone qualifies with a bit of positive mental prep!)
I'll post the retreat schedule in a couple weeks to give you a sense of the rhythm of our days, how the intuitive writing modules will work, and how Anne's yoga classes will complement and deepen the work we're doing in our notebooks and mind maps.
Please feel free to leave a comment below or email me with any questions or to register. Space is limited to 12, so definitely get in touch soon!
36 Hours in the Emerald City, part 2
36 Hours in the Emerald City, part 1: http://t.co/pEbjrm9XS4#vegan#YAlit#seattlepic.twitter.com/3F61qZo9RF
— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) June 17, 2015
Magical glass at @chihulygg. #seattle (cc @cyndyaleo) pic.twitter.com/rxmZOgLU9G
— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) June 10, 2015
After landing in Seattle I grabbed a falafel sandwich and headed to the Chihuly Exhibition, which Cyndy Aleo recommended. It's quite pricey at $25, but it's such a unique and wonderful place that I still have to talk it up.
After the Chihuly I decided to hop on an uptown bus to my AirBnB, shower and rest for a bit before heading out to dinner at the Wayward Vegan Café (see previous post).
The neighborhood is so charming, it was a treat just walking around taking photos of the flowers in people's front yards.
The next morning I took a leisurely walk around Green Lake. The circuit is 2.8 miles long.
Totally living this definition of gratitude on my flash vacation. #seattlepic.twitter.com/j2DX7Om5xt — Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) June 10, 2015
Randomly beautiful. #seattlepic.twitter.com/PmSVIpquZK — Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) June 17, 2015
36 Hours in the Emerald City, part 1
Last week I visited Seattle for the first time, and I am IN LOVE.
(Oh, Seattle. So sad to have to love you and leave you.) pic.twitter.com/TcGcQPWTkL
— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) June 11, 2015
I was there for a YA group event at the University Bookstore with Stephanie Kuehn and Martha Brockenbrough, two authors who are every bit as smart and insightful as their novels. Stephanie and I have the same editor, and Martha and I got our virtual introduction through Mackenzi, but this event happened because Nova had a dream she did an event with a bunch of author friends (!):
...and @cometparty was there and @stephkuehn was there and if only this could this come true, right? #dreams@courtney_s — Nova Ren Suma (@novaren) February 14, 2015
Martha and me.
...And Caitlin at the UW bookstore replied with "we can make that happen." Oh, the magic of Twitter! Sadly, Nova couldn't join us, but she was definitely there in spirit. I mentioned her name and everyone went all smiley and giddy. (Nova is so humble that she has no idea how much of a rockstar she really is in the YA world!) I also got to meet Alias Anna from Peace, Love, Teen Fiction, who has been wonderfully excited for and supportive of Bones & All even before the ARCs came out!
I'll blog a couple more pics from the event next week, but for now here are the obligatory photos of what I ate and where I ate it, haha. Unfortunately I didn't make it to Plum Bistro, which seems like the city's most highly regarded vegan restaurant, but it will be my first port of call on trip #2.
I absolutely loved the Wayward Vegan Café, a 15-minute walk from where I was staying near Green Lake. You know you're in food heaven when the waitress brings your plate and asks "Would you like some nutritional yeast?" the way any other server would offer you parmesan. I got a "nutlet," which was served more like a Sloppy Joe (except with the best mushroom gravy EVER), and steamed kale with garlic and sesame seeds. Yum yum yum.
Down in the University district the next day, after a morning at Zoka soaking up the famous Seattle coffee culture with the one vegan item at the bakery counter (a raspberry oat tart thingy, and fortunately it was tasty), I went to Chaco Canyon for lunch: a raw salad with kelp noodles and sesame ginger dressing and a house juice (carrot, apple, ginger, orange). Standard hippie-crunchy menu and atmosphere, but then again, that is kinda my thing!
(Would that it were "standard." But ah, someday it will be...)
I also managed to get to my first-ever all-vegan grocery, Vegan Haven, which supports a local pig rescue.
How psyched was I to see Miyoko's Creamery products? (Not to mention that there is a whole refrigerator case stocked with various brands of vegan cheese??) I'll be blogging about my kitchen adventures with Artisan Vegan Cheese in the next month or so, by the way.
Next time: the Chihuly Exhibition and geeking out over all the adorable little Craftsman houses!
Somerlovin': or, my Summer 2015 Bucket List
Here are some lovely neighborhood pics I never got around to blogging last summer. I feel like last summer kinda passed me by—not that I didn't do cool stuff, I just wish I had done even MORE cool stuff. So for accountability's sake, here are my travel-sightseeing-culture goals for summer 2015:
Pickle Factory Read-Aloud Picnics on a monthly basis (Facebook invite for the next one is here)
Swimming at least once a week (hopping on the blue line to Revere Beach after a good writing session at the Room, if nothing else!)
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival with Miranda's Hearth (last year I volunteered, but this year I bought a ticket. My plan is to hang out on the lawn listening to music and drawing ALL DAY.)
At least one camping trip besides Falcon Ridge (which doesn't really count, right?)
A day trip to Concord and Walden Pond (finally!)
Cape Cod (double-finally!)
Finally getting to the ICA with the free passes I won from 826 Boston.
Not to mention all my culinary goals for this summer—along with posting the first few recipes from Vegan Cookery & Pastry, I'm planning to eat 90% raw for the month of August (apart from Falcon Ridge) just to see how I feel. RAWGUST, ha ha!
Transformational Writing + Yoga Retreat!
[Update: This retreat has been rescheduled for May 20th-22nd, 2016. Details here.]I am over-the-moon excited to announce my first-ever writing and yoga retreat! Squam has been a catalyst for me in so many ways, and I've been dreaming about leading a writing retreat to help other people enjoy the same sort of life-changing experience. When I attended a yoga weekend at Bethel Farm in February and met Stephen Bethel, I knew this was the perfect place and the ideal teacher with whom to partner. Stephen is so open and loving and kind, and gives the juiciest dharma talks!
The First-Ever Comet Party Transformational Writing + Yoga Retreat
Thursday, September 10th through Sunday, September 13th, 2015 Bethel Farm, Hillsborough, New HampshireA transformative experience requires three simple factors: time in nature, a diversion from routine, and the intention to surprise yourself. If you've been feeling anxious about growing in a new direction, this is the ideal set up in which to work through your fears and become the person you know you're meant to be. Through a magical combination of writing, yoga, and meditation in a safe and supportive environment, you'll be able to delve deep into unprocessed emotions and ultimately create your own epiphany (or maybe more than one!)We'll begin each day with a Jivamukti yoga class taught by Stephen Bethel. Workshop sessions will include intuitive mind mapping, ego management, and using symbols and archetypes to reframe our challenges, all of which are flexibly designed to make skill and experience levels (happily) irrelevant. You can be someone who doesn't write at all, or you can be an aspiring or published author. You can be an experienced yogi, or you can be making your way to the mat for the very first time. We'll spend time outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, sweat out what no longer serves us in the pond-side sauna, and savor gorgeous vegan meals from the Bethel Farm kitchen. 
Camille is a Boston-based novelist, travel writer, and certified vegan lifestyle coach and educator. She has experienced greatly enhanced creativity and emotional and spiritual well being through her asana and intuitive writing practices, and wants to share that joy with as many people as she can.
About Stephen Bethel
Stephen Bethel is an advanced certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher, who honors his teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life through every class he leads. Ten years ago, he began teaching yoga classes at Bethel Farm, and soon after offered the first day long retreat. Since then, he has overseen the development of a complete yoga farm and retreat center on 50 secluded acres in acres in rural New Hampshire. In addition to hosting the top talent in yoga and the living arts, Bethel leads yoga classes, workshops, and teacher trainings at the Farm, and internationally.
Price, Registration, and More Info
Cost is $415, inclusive of all but travel. I'm really psyched to be able to offer a four-day (three-night) retreat at such an affordable price. Visit the Bethel Farm website to get a feel for the atmosphere!An intimate group is best given the work we'll be doing here, so registration is limited to about 12. Registration link coming soon. In the meantime, you can email me at cometpartyATgmailDOTcom or leave a comment below to let me know you're interested or to ask any questions you might have!
New Blog Series: Bookstores of Boston!
Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who really care for books read all of them. There is no other course.
—Andrew Lang, Adventures Among Books
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There are many things I love about living in Boston, but the wealth of great bookstores is at the very top of the list. In South Jersey (where I'm from), Barnes & Noble is the only option for miles, and who knows if there'll even be any B&N in ten years' time. In 2012 and early 2013 (before and after Hawthornden) I worked at the customer service desk at my hometown B&N, and the signs were not encouraging. I wanted to reach across the counter and shake anyone who whined that the Amazon price was cheaper.
Does Amazon let you browse through a stack of magazines in the cafe for hours without purchasing any of them? Does Amazon give you free WiFi and a table to work at your laptop or meet up with friends? Did Amazon give you a place to charge your phones during Hurricane Sandy? Can you have a twenty-minute conversation with Amazon about Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series? Does Amazon host local authors for in-person events?
Look what I found while going through some old papers. #sadfacepic.twitter.com/xUAsqRg4ml— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) December 27, 2014
Okay, you get my point. B&N is the best we can do in South Jersey, but independent bookstores are (for the most part) SO much better. Employees at chain bookstores are often making just above minimum wage, and they aren't necessarily interested in literature. For many of them it's just another retail job. Walk into an independent bookstore, though, and you'll find booksellers who are wildly enthusiastic about what they're selling you. It isn't just a job for them, it's a natural extension of their lifestyle. Yes, you'll usually pay more than you would at Amazon, but you have to look at the big picture: bookstores are a vital cultural resource. Imagine a world with no more brick-and-mortar bookstores (which is easier to do in my little pocket of South Jersey, I am sorry to report) and you may find you don't mind paying the full sticker price after a lively conversation with a bookseller who full-out adores that particular author. You come away from that transaction on a high that has nothing to do with retail therapy.
My friend Rachel Simon, who runs our monthly MG/YA writers' meetup, inspired this idea for a celebratory blog series on the independent bookstores of Boston. I must confess that I haven't actually been to many of the bookshops on the list below, or have only visited them quite recently in preparation for this project. I tend to frequent Harvard Books and Porter Square Books (or Trident, since it's right below my yoga studio), so I'm doing this series partly for my own edification.Here's a preliminary list, including secondhand bookstores:
Trident Booksellers and Cafe, Back Bay
Brookline Booksmith, Brookline
The Children's Bookshop, Brookline
Harvard Books, Cambridge
Pandemonium Books, Cambridge
Porter Square Books, Cambridge
Rodney's Bookstore, Cambridge
Seven Stars, Cambridge
Brattle Book Shop, Downtown Boston
The MFA Bookstore, Fenway
Papercuts, Jamaica Plain
Newtonville Books, Newton
New England Mobile Book Fair, Newton Highlands
Back Pages Books, Waltham
This list is far from exhaustive, particularly when it comes to secondhand and antiquarian bookstores, so if there's a shop I've missed that you really love, please let me know!I'll be posting about my experiences at these indies each Monday for the next few months, but I could really use your help: do you have any anecdotes (great customer service, fascinating author event, etc.) that you'd like to share? Because I have much more to say about the three bookstores I frequent, I'd really like to even things out and do each store justice.First up next Monday (predictably enough): Porter Square Books!
@cometparty Sure! How about @bestsellerscaf in Medford, @BackPagesBooks in Waltham, or brand-new @papercutsjp in Jamaica Plain?
— Boston Book Festival (@bostonbookfest) January 5, 2015
Vegan Paradise
Spencer points out a line on page 250: In the morning she poured two bowls of Count Chocula, and we ate on the front steps.Me: "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever eaten Count Chocula."Elliot (?): "I think there's a lot in that book you've never eaten."
Seeing as the classic Middle Eastern dishes of falafel, hummus, and baba ganoush are some of my very favorites, you can just imagine how happy I was eating these foods every day if I wanted to. I think the rest of the gang were a little bit hummus-and-falafel'd out by the last few days, and I may have echoed as much, but I didn't really mean it. Have I mentioned my undying love for falafel? 
I didn't get a photo, but on our first night in Haifa Kate and I split a roasted eggplant (it comes with the stem!) with tahini on top, served with freshly-baked focaccia-type bread. We had tahini served various delicious ways, which I'll talk more about next time. It's a way more versatile dip/spread than I'd ever thought!
Haifa and Akko
In Haifa, north of Tel Aviv, we enjoyed the terraced Baha'i Gardens overlooking the Mediterranean and the best AirBnB digs of the trip (thanks, Eli!) You can see why Haifa unanimously won the "if we could live anyplace we've been to on this trip" game. 
Then we drove to Akko (Acre) to check out the restored Crusader-turned-Ottoman citadel in the pouring rain. (We also enjoyed the first of many lunches of hummus and Arabic coffee, which I will blog about separately.) The hummus joint is located inside the old suq, or marketplace, where we picked up some spices, including za'atar (a mix of thyme, sesame seeds, and salt, commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine) and a few packets of saffron Kate later convinced herself were phony. (We'll cook with it and let you know.) 
Despite the heavy rain, I really enjoyed walking through the narrow streets of the old city. Very atmospheric. 
Next post: Zippori and the Sea of Galilee!
Puns and Praise (and More Puns)
I brought the Bones & All galley along on vacation this past month, and all four of my family members got to read it. (Jill went first, and finished the book at the end of an all-night bout of insomnia—she literally did not sleep. I was amazed she could function the next day!) They made groan-worthy puns, asked salient questions, and posed a few theories of their own. (Maren's curse as a metaphor for an eating disorder? How had I never consciously considered that?!) It was like we'd formed our own little on-the-road book club. I like to tell people this is the one project from which I've completely disengaged—that you can say whatever you like about it and my heart won't reply with that aggravating fight-or-flight business—but it still gives me pleasure to know that my family and friends are enjoying what I've written.
"A tasty treat."
"I was hungry for more."
"It's a book you can really sink your teeth into."
"It takes a couple of readings to digest it all."
"Ravenously good!"
"You are one sick, sick mother-effer." (This one from my own sister.)
And last but not least, after stopping by a Tel Aviv ice cream parlor: "We devoured them, cones and all."
@cometparty The banner ad on today's Shelf Awareness email got my really excited :) pic.twitter.com/qj7ilR44YR— Mackenzi Lee (@themackenzilee) December 5, 2014
Love these words from @cometparty on reading, writing, & how we shape our identities http://t.co/hZrW3sEK61 also books as necessary candy ;)— Adam Maynard (@agmaynard) December 6, 2014
Terrible fake-blurbs aside, there is actual cool stuff to share. First, I have an essay on Book Reporter that went up on Friday as part of their blog series on holiday bookgiving. And in save-the-best-for-last fashion, check out these generous (and, y'know, legit) blurbs I've received from two terrific authors:
"From its opening, grab-you-by-the-gut paragraph to its chilling, perfect ending, I was captivated by the story of Maren Yearly, a character unlike any I've ever encountered before. Bones & All is a riveting, utterly original, and unexpectedly tender exploration of one of the scariest things in the world: growing up."
— Elizabeth Little, author of Dear Daughter
"A dark and mesmerizing vision of adolescent desire—this book will devour you."
— Robin Wasserman, author of The Waking Dark and The Book of Blood and Shadow
Thank you very much, Robin and Elizabeth!
Further Adventures in Wartime Knitting
(Previous entries: Knitted Garments for All, Knitting for Little Men, Knitting Patterns from 1939, the Victory Jumper.)
On the tail end of my Vermont leaf-peeping weekend my friend and I stumbled upon the coolest antiques store EVER. Dozens of vendors each have their own little niche inside the one large room, and I definitely got the impression that this sales model results in higher-quality offerings all around. When we were checking out the owner said she'd enjoyed overhearing my enthusiastic exclamations over the past half hour or so ("Oh my God, a OUIJA BOARD! But don't let me buy it. Don't let me buy it!!!"), which, of course, made me love her treasure trove of an antiques shop all the more.
I just looked it up so I could link to it—Antiques at 27 Main in Bristol, Vermont—and I'm so sad to read they're closing at the end of the year. Why does every place I over-the-moon adore have to go out of business?!
Naturally, I was all over the vintage pattern books and notions. This picture reminds me of playing horseshoes with my grandfather and sister.
This one gives me MAD BABYLUST even though said child is almost old enough to be my grandmother.
I don't know when I'll get around to knitting out of this incredibly charming pattern book (isn't that always the way?), but I can tell you that I'm making use of the claret-colored bias binding in one of my Christmas presents (which I'll blog about in January). I was sewing quite a bit back in August and September, so I have to catch up on sharing those projects too.
Ugh. Still so bummed about that antiques shop going O-O-B!
More Random Ireland
The next few photos are from the graveyard in Tipperary where Seanan's ancestors are buried. (I shivered just typing that.) Bán brought me there and we spent awhile looking out for the oldest stones in the cemetery. 
Leaf peeping in Vermont
I went camping with a friend at Button Bay over Columbus weekend, and we passed the most gorgeous day clambering up and down Mount Abe. 
(It's only recently occurred to me that I ought to finish blogging about Uganda and Rwanda before we leave for Israel and Jordan next month. I can't believe that trip was over a year ago already...)