The Best Notebooks and Notepads

A notebook is more than just a practical tool. It can be a source of joy, a covetable item that turns an ordinary, everyday task—note taking, journaling, task planning, brainstorming, or doodling—into a sublime experience. Upgrading from a cheap notebook to a high-quality one usually costs just a couple more cents per page (or about $2 to $5 overall), and we think you’re worth it. After interviewing experts, researching more than 80 notebooks, and writing zealously in 24 of them side by side over several weeks, we have picks in a number of sizes and styles. Any of these notebooks will provide an appreciably better writing experience than what you can get from a generic, off-the-shelf-at-Walgreens notebook.