I’m sure everyone’s seen the rather disturbing news about the arrival in the US of the “Murder Hornet.” These scary bugs, more formally known as the Asian Giant Hornet, have a nasty sting and a habit of decapitating bees. And they’re huge! How huge are they? Up to two inches long, as shown in the … Continue reading The Murder Hornet Notebook→
I’ve heard from a couple of readers on how they’re notebooking their way through the COVID-19 shutdown. Here are their stories: Tina Koyama A little more than 3 weeks ago, I was so freaked out about the pandemic that I needed something to do to calm my mind so that I could move on with … Continue reading Notebooking Through the Coronavirus→
Today I’ll take a look at two Oxford notebooks from my collection. I picked these up on my travels in Europe, where the Oxford brand is much more common than it is in the USA. More the pity, as these are some of my favorite finds! First, the hardcover Oxford Signature notebook. I purchased this … Continue reading Oxford Notebooks Review→
From the Minnesota Star Tribune, a profile of a college hockey player who is also a dedicated journaler: Before and after every practice, every game, the Gophers goaltender hunches over a Moleskine not much bigger than his palm and writes. Jack LaFontaine has five journals in all, each to collect different thoughts — practice focuses, … Continue reading A Hockey Player’s Notebook→
I have a couple of Moleskine’s Japanese Albums, but I’ve never actually used one. The elongated spread of pages always seems daunting to me, but I love to see the way other artists take advantage of this format. American illustrator Chris Russell is one of the best I’ve seen. Large narrative paintings by seventeenth century … Continue reading Chris Russell’s Humanity Notebooks→
I loved this post from the “Writing at Large” blog, about tracking goals and resolutions in a notebook. The dense lists and checked-off boxes are very satisfying. My “resolutions†are, however, S.M.A.R.T. goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. I manage them using the least used notebook that I had lying around (a Baron Fig Confidant), … Continue reading Tracking Yearly Goals in a Notebook→
Here’s another shoebox full of notebooks from my collection. This one has most of my Filofaxes and other refillable looseleaf notebooks. First, here’s the Filofaxes. I used 4 of these on a regular basis during the mid to late 1990s. (See Pocket Filofax, Early 1990s for details on the burgundy one.) These older ones all … Continue reading Shoebox Tour: Filofax and Other Looseleaf Notebooks→
Dan Currie is a stand-up comedian based in Lansing, MI. One of his favorite things is his notebook: My favorite thing is a notebook I acquired back in 2014. Over a four-year span, I’ve had it at hundreds of shows. My friend and fellow comedian Carl Johnson booked me and a group of other comics … Continue reading Dan Currie’s Comedy Notebook→
The creator of the Tuk Book is another self-professed notebook addict. Zach Rome has always carried a pocket notebook, but despite trying many brands, he could never find that anything truly held up to every day back-pocket carrying. So he set out to design a truly indestructible notebook that he believes is the perfect everyday … Continue reading Tuk Book Review→
I can’t believe this is my first Muji notebook review! I’m a big fan of the Japanese chain Muji. I first went to one of their stores in London at least 15 years ago and loved their minimal aesthetic and practical offerings. Back then, I mainly remember buying a recycled yarn t-shirt and a small … Continue reading Muji Notebook Review: A6 Slim→
Notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, diaries: in search of the perfect page…