Here’s a cute collab: Beatrix Potter notebooks from Smythson. Beatrix Potter artwork will give many people, including me, a warm feeling of childhood nostalgia, and they’ve done a great job incorporating it into these notebooks and stationery sets, with iconic characters and quotes on the outside, and full color art as endpapers and envelope linings. … Continue reading Smythson Beatrix Potter Notebooks→
I recently finished watching the final season of Hacks. Though the premise of the show didn’t interest me when I first heard about it, once I finally started watching, I was completely hooked– so funny and smart, with great characters, stellar performances, and a satisfying emotional arc. And of course I am writing about it … Continue reading Deborah Vance’s Notebook on Hacks→
I totally missed it when Moleskine announced these little notebook charms back in November 2025. Apparently they started as part of a collaboration with the K-pop group BlackPink, which I guess was successful as they’re already sold out. It’s pretty gimmicky and I never put charms on anything, but I can’t help finding these tiny … Continue reading Cute Moleskine Notebook Charms→
I first encountered Nakabayashi’s Logical Prime notebooks at Nota Bene in Montreal, where I decided to buy some sizes that I don’t typically use just because they seemed nice and I wanted to review them (see here). I didn’t realize Logical Prime made any notebooks in my favorite size, but I later stumbled across an … Continue reading Logical Prime A6 Slim 2.5mm Grid Notebook→
Here’s another interesting antique notebook from my collection. I love the concept of a diary mixed with a foreign language dictionary. This would have been intended for a soldier who was being sent to fight in France during World War 1, so in a lightweight, compact package, the soldier (or other service member) could both … Continue reading WW1 Soldier-Sailor’s Diary→
Back in December 2008, I wrote a post called Finishing a Notebook. At the time, this still felt rather significant as an accomplishment. My notebook usage before the early 2000s was often very fickle– I’d start one, decide I wanted to try something else, then maybe go back to something I’d tried before, then move … Continue reading Unfinished Notebooks→
Over the last couple of years, it’s gotten to the point where I’m carrying quite a few notebooks around the house with me. Even if I’m not using every single one of these notebooks constantly, I know I might want to, so I like to keep them close at hand. And then I want to … Continue reading House Totes for Notebooks and Pens→
I shared this article on Instagram recently, but wanted to write more about it here. Don’t Keep a Diary. Embrace the Fragments of Real Life Instead. The author Daniel Poppick talks about how diaries are often kept in a way that can sound a bit stilted or self-conscious: I’ve never consistently kept a diary. On … Continue reading Keeping a Notebook vs. Keeping a Diary→
Be prepared to work hard for years, sign lots of non-disclosure agreements, and secure a key to a secret bank vault if you want to join the select few get to see this notebook, which contains… an ancient alchemical recipe? A spell for a witch’s brew? Instructions for making an elixir of eternal youth? No, … Continue reading This Notebook Contains a Secret Formula→
I should have reviewed this notebook ages ago. I bought it back in March 2025, and 10 months is not the longest I’ve gone before reviewing something, but unfortunately, it was long enough for this product to have sold out. But since there may still be items from this brand circulating on eBay or other … Continue reading Jil Largean Notebook Review→
Notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, diaries: in search of the perfect page…