I bought a cheap bullet notebook from a charity shop. The front cover was bright and artistically in your face. Nevertheless, it held fountain pen ink very nicely. So the lists of ‘Books about Books’ started to get entered into the ink friendly pages.

Since reading the book ‘The Club Dumas’ which was the inspiration behind the film ‘The Ninth Gate’, fictional novels about this popular subject became one that was really interesting. Decades ago I had read the book ‘The Never Ending Story’ and was always drawn in to that theme idea. Having read books over a lifetime, it was fascinating to think of how they could influence life’s stories in an influential way.

I have begun collecting books about books for a few years now. But only have a couple of dozen. Anyways. Recently thinking of planning routines, one daily intention is to read at least one chapter of a book daily. My current read is ‘Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop’ by Kenji Ueda. (Translated by Emily Balistrieri). If you love all things fountain pens, organisers, Notebooks, Postcards and Memo Pads, this is the book for you. Fictional and gentle.

Back to the current ‘Books about Books’ notebook of lists and information. The cover? It grated. Tawdry and in need of softening. So, with the bits and bobs I use to enhance my other journals, I decorated it.

If you are of a certain age and experienced the type of culture that schooldays once had, one’s exercise books were always covered. The teachers would ask us to cover our books at home using wallpaper and sellotape. We would all come into class with vibes of home within our lessons. Why do this? For protecting the exercise books from daily wear and tear? Wallpaper design that the teacher could easily identify which child’s work was within the pages? Or a simple psychological ploy to settle our school time fears by having a little visual example of the comforts of home during school hours? Who knows.

Decorating a plain or awful designed notebook feels similar. And. If you are interested in making something your own go to, and allow it to have a special place in your heart, it can be quite a simple moderation.

Pritt stick glue, Kraft brown paper sticky tape, Washi tape, Amazon ideas for ‘sticker and vintage imagery enhancing artwork (or whatever rocks your own boat visually) that people put into Bullet Journals, eyelet kit to strengthen mounting places with elastic lengths to create a ‘stretch wrap around your journal’ safety band, and just a bit of other inspirational add in’s. I use these brass ‘clamps’ seen on the journal, as weights to hold the notebook flat when writing. I ‘punch stamp’ out circular holes with a cheap metal hole punch to house the elastic stretch bands. Crimping metal ends hold the elastic in place. Sometimes, inside front and back covers, it is nice to glue in artwork too. Also little cardboard secretarial holders. Places to put some small ephemera like receipts, favourite photographs, small clippings from newspapers/reviews or business cards. .

Here you Go.

Just tap on the smaller images and they will give you an insight to all the stuff I use.

The list of ‘maybe’ books so far. A deeper look into what may be of interest is an ongoing affair. Chick Lits? Nah! The ones I own currently are the iconic ones, interestingly weird ones and then, alongside, ones made into films.