Queen J Approximately

[queenjapproximately]

How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo in October

Are you considering doing @NaNoWriMo this November? Here are some things to do now to keep from getting overwhelmed.

Often around this time of year, I start to feel the stirrings of literary ambitions– more than usual, I mean. Ideas start to swirl in my head and fill my dreams, as I begin to contemplate taking the plunge and signing up for NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo (or even just NaNo) for short, takes place every year in November and encourages writers everywhere to attempt to write…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

There and Back Again: Reminiscing on J.R.R. Tolkien for Hobbit Day

There and Back Again: Reminiscing on J.R.R. Tolkien for Hobbit Day Today I'm celebrating #HobbitDay by thinking back on my long-lived relationship with Middle-Earth.

I first tried to read The Hobbit at a quite young age, but I must confess that the chills I got when the dwarves started singing about going “Far over the misty mountains cold, through dungeons deep and caverns old” were too much for me. I didn’t feel brave enough to go over the Misty Mountains yet, so I put it back. When I was in middle school, I rediscovered J.R.R. Tolkien in a big way. I read…

View On WordPress

[before-life]

Klementinum, Prague, Czech Republic by hsinhua

[silvaris]

Wandering Misty Woods 🍁🍂🌳 by  @joeweaver_photography

[lionofchaeronea]

The Owl, Valentine Cameron Prinsep (1838-1904)

[queenjapproximately]

Book Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Book Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier— why you should read the classic gothic novel of English stately homes, magnificent gardens, and buttered crumpets.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again… Rebecca is well known for a lot of things: the big, beautiful manor house that is the setting for most of the book and almost a character in its own right; the haunting presence of the memory of the first Mrs. de Winter, with the influence and power of a ghost; the  narrator who remains resolutely unnamed throughout the entire book; the jealous,…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Introducing Black Cat Books!

Introducing Black Cat Books!

If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably noticed that I read a fair amount. I come from a family of readers, which started me off on the right (literary) foot, then went on to become an English major and a librarian. It’s safe to say I’ve spent my life around books. I’ve always posted what I’m reading in my IG stories and sometimes in posts, but I’ve thought for a while that I’d like to…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Travel Diary 2: Traveling to London

Travel Diary 2: Traveling to London

My first flight was running late. 

If you’ve done much travelling, then you know this is typically not a good thing. Sure, occasionally you’re running late, or you were cutting it close with a really short layover, but the vast majority of the time, this is bad news resulting in possible outcomes  ranging from mild inconvenience to full-blown catastrophe. This was my first flight of the day,…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Preparing for a Trip

Preparing for a Trip - What to do while you're waiting for your departure date

If you’re anything like me, you love travelling, and can work up a lot of excitement well in advance of your actual departure date. So what do you do during that period of excitement when you’ve already booked your tickets and are waiting for time to hit the road? Of course there is the obvious step of determining travel plans, transportation, and accomodations, but what else can you do to fill…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Travel Diary 1: Leaving for London

Travel Diary 1: Leaving for London - Come along with me to spend a summer in London, a few years ago when the world was open and everything was possible.

Let’s take a journey back in time. Back before our trips were cancelled, before we were confined to four walls and a few trips to the grocery store, before we were feeling old and jaded and lonely. Let’s go back to when we were younger.

A few years ago, I went to London for the summer. The reason, ostensibly, was to study British library practices for my MLS program. The real reason, of…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Get Out and About with These Instagram Accounts

Get Out and About with These Instagram Accounts

As lockdowns begin to ease, people are finally starting to get some relief from the four walls of their abodes. This can mean different levels of excitement depending on where you are and what your situation is. Some of us have been able to spend time in our gardens, while others have been stuck in tiny urban apartments. Now we’re finally able to walk those beloved city streets… Or maybe we live…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Art in the Time of Coronavirus: Enjoying Museums Online

Art in the Time of Coronavirus: Enjoying Museums Online

If museum-going is a favorite pastime of yours, you’re probably languishing in your inability to fulfill your passion right about now. On the other hand, you might not live close to any major cities with desirable museums, in which case, closures aren’t the only things stopping you from enjoying a quiet stroll through the galleries. If either of these situations are yours, there is a small bit of…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Eternally Contemporary: Shakespeare Then and Now

Eternally Contemporary: Shakespeare Then and Now - How contemporary Shakespeare companies are keeping the spirit of the Bard alive.

Shakespeare’s Globe production of Macbeth, photographed by Marc Brenner for The Independent

Whether you are an English major or not, chances are that you have an opinion on Shakespeare. He’s simply too prevalent in Anglophone culture to completely avoid encountering. You may have studied his work in college, or you may have simply read a play out loud in a high school English class. You might…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Five Things I'm Digging This Week, #4

Five Things I'm Digging This Week: Daggers, Tombs, Maps, and Bones

This week, I’m digging several new and new-to-me archaeological (and historical) stories. From recently discovered artifacts that have been unearthed after lying hidden for centuries, to rediscovered treasures and long-hidden tombs, these stories and artifacts brought the buried past back to life for a few minutes while I read them. I hope they brighten up your weekend with their vivid colors and…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Surviving Sick Season

Surviving Sick Season: 5 Tips for Staying Healthy

Everyone’s in a panic over the spread of coronavirus, now with the less exciting and far more clinical-sounding name COVID-19. The reality, however, is that most of us are far more likely to be exposed to the usual winter culprits: influenza, the common cold, strep throat, and all variety of stomach bugs. Though they don’t have the notoriety of COVID-19, these illnesses range from unpleasant to…

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Goodbye to Healthy Food for Everyone: the Demise of Earth Fare

Goodbye to Healthy Food for Everyone: the Demise of Earth Fare

I was dealt a harsh blow recently when it was announced that the healthy grocery store chain Earth Fare will be going out of business. Not just my local store, but all of them. While I am of course disappointed about the simple loss of my favorite place to shop for food, I’m also sorry to see the disappearance of an organization that sought to do such positive things in its area of influence.

View On WordPress

[queenjapproximately]

Take a Tour Through Belle Époque Paris with Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals

Take a Tour Through Belle Époque Paris with Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals

Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals A sparkling panorama of “La Belle Époque”: Its gilded society, irrepressible wits and splendid courtesans by Cornelia Otis Skinner

About a year ago, I went to see Paris 1900at the Frist Art Museum. I was captivated by the world brought to life by the exhibition – the elegant women travelling by horse, carriage, and even bicycle down the streets of…

View On WordPress