Category Archives: Brands

A Hockey Player’s Notebook

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

Chris Russell’s Humanity Notebooks

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

Tracking Yearly Goals in a Notebook

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

Shoebox Tour: Filofax and Other Looseleaf Notebooks

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’s Comedy Notebook

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

Tuk Book Review

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

Muji Notebook Review: A6 Slim

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

Japan’s Obsession with Paper

A fascinating article from the BBC about Japan’s traditions around the use of paper. Towards the end, there is a mention of the popularity of using planners such as the Hobonichi Techo: There are also still strong advocates for paper’s analogue charm in a world that is becoming increasingly digital. Japan’s so-called “techo culture” celebrates … Continue reading Japan’s Obsession with Paper

Tru Red Notebook Review

I spotted the Tru Red notebook on one of my periodic trips to Staples. This is a house brand for them, manufactured in Turkey, with a variety of notebook styles, page formats and sizes available. When I saw that they had pocket size notebooks with dot grid and squared pages available, I decided to add … Continue reading Tru Red Notebook Review

Mottled Pressboard Notebooks

Only the biggest stationery geek in the world goes around saying things like “I LOVE MOTTLED PRESSBOARD!” Only the biggest stationery geeks probably even know what it is… in fact, I myself didn’t know what it was until just recently. Or rather, I knew what it was but I didn’t know what it was called. … Continue reading Mottled Pressboard Notebooks