Saturday, November 6, 2010

Moleskine Book Journal - Because You Always Need Another Notebook

This week I treated myself to the new Moleskine Book Journal, a new addition to their "Passions" line of six new specialty notebooks: Recipes, Wine, Book, Film, Music and Wellness.

I was naturally intrigued by the Book Journal (although I just love saying the French version, "carnet livres"- so evocative) when I saw a sample at the NEIBA conference a few weeks ago. I've been looking for one ever since and was delighted to find that Blick Art Supply carries them.

(None of the bookstores I've visited which carry Moleskine appear to have had it,  although by now they probably do.)

So here's the product: a standard medium-sized Moleskine with a black embossed cover and insides broken up into three main sections. The first is a brief chapter called "Planning" which give you space to list events and appointments; I'm using it to list readings.

The next, and largest, is divided alphabetically A-Z (you decide if you're going to list alpha by title or alpha by author) with room for one book per page, and the last is a series of five user-defined tabbed sections, each page containing five blank horizontal divisions. You could use them to annotate readings, lists, collections- whatever you want. There is also a section of blank pages and a section for a personal index at the end.

So far, I'm using my user-defined sections for
  • keeping track of gift ideas,
  • creating themed book lists,
  • and tracking Friday Finds.

The book comes with four accessories- three sheets of stickers and a bookmark. Two sets of stickers are identical but for color- one is gray and one is teal. Some are descriptive- I Loved It! Amazing!; some are pictorial- stars, pencils, thumbs-up, etc. The third set is for the user-defined tabbed sections and includes 35 suggested categories ("My Favorites," or "News Sites," for example) and five blank tabs. The book has three ribbon bookmarks so you can bookmark different sections at once, and has the standard black elastic closure on the outside. The book has two pockets on the inside back cover and a booklet translating a bunch of bookish terms into various languages.

So what do I think? I think it's adorable. At $20.00 it would make a fun gift for a favorite bibliophile, or a great way to keep records and notes for yourself. I use blank Moleskine books to take notes on books (and keep lists, and daydream, and- you get the idea) and I love their glossy, beautiful paper; it's just about the nicest surface I've ever written on, whether it be a poem or a grocery list. I also love their compact sizes and the elastic to keep it closed, and I appreciate the pockets and other thoughtful features. I like the idea of having a more formal dedicated space for record keeping; maybe it'll become a sort of hub for my blog and a record of bookish events and people. Come to think of it, I'm busy enough these days that I could really use a command-central for everything bookish in my life. This might just be the thing!

Where to buy Moleskine notebooks. I am not affiliated with Moleskine.


FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this product for review.

17 comments:

Laura said...

Oh my how wonderful! I know someone who will love this for Christmas. Thanks !

Paperback Reader said...

Oh, that is beautiful!

I already own two book journals but this is another to keep in mind and definitely one to give as a gift to a fellow bibliophile.

bermudaonion said...

I love Moleskin notebooks, but I have a feeling I wouldn't keep that one up - I can barely keep up with my blog!

Audrey said...

I've always just used assorted fabric-covered blank books for my reading journals, so they're sort of a motley assortment... and no stickers or tabs. I would love those! :)

rhapsodyinbooks said...

It's very beautiful - it does seem like a great gift! Thanks for the heads up!

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

This is a nice addition to the Moleskein line.

I bought one of these in June and have been using it since July 1st. I think it has great features, but a lot of the labels would not be useful for me. I like it a lot, but for some reason still prefer the Moleskein, large ruled version, which I will go back to in January.

Frances said...

Oh, you are dangerous. Now I "need" one of these for me and about five other people I know.

Bellezza said...

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my lips...oh, my goodness, I want this journal! I'm already a huge fan of Moleskin (have you seen the Japanese one, which folds out like an accordian?) and now this is a Christmas Must Have. If not before. The only thing I wonder is, do you suppose there are enough pages? I like how you described how you'll use yours...

Kathleen said...

Definitely a notebook that any bibliophile would LOVE!

Lisa C. Hayden said...

Wow, the bookmark even says "Doctor Zhivago" in Russian!

Vasilly said...

I think you've sold all of us on this book! It sounds like the perfect journal for book bloggers.

Alexia561 said...

Love Moleskein notebooks, so very happy to see that they have one dedicated to books! Very cool!

Mystica said...

Looks gorgeous!

Zibilee said...

Oh my gosh! I NEED one of these! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome find. Up until I saw this post, I knew no such thing existed, and now I know I must have one. Reading the interwebs is dangerous, I tell you!

Erin said...

I ADORE Moleskine notebooks and have been wondering what this one looked like inside! I love the idea of being that organized about my reading, but past attempts have shown me I'm not so good at keeping up with it. Instead, I use one notebook for quotes and such and another (the Moleskine address book, actually, which is just lined pages broken up with letter tabs) to keep track of what I read and when.

Enjoy your new toy!

Marie Cloutier said...

Erin, I love the idea of using the address book to keep track of reading! I never would have thought of that, literal-minded as I can be about these things. :-)

Unknown said...

I love moleskin notebooks... I buy mine at every year end...