Midori MD Notebook Cover A6 Goat Leather Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

I just feel like my notebooks are happier with little coats on. It's cold where I live. And sure, maybe that's just an excuse for more cool notebook covers. But any excuse you can find to pick up the Midori MD Goat Leather Notebook Cover is a good excuse, because it's a good notebook cover.

This cover is made from natural, vegetable tanned goat leather. The natural leather ages and patinas with use, taking on the story of its journey with you. I've been excited to start to see some character develop in the weeks I've been using this one, but so far, it still looks brand new. Because it's also very durable. I'm happy to patiently await the development of character, though. The leather is very lightweight and flexible, but durable.

The design of the cover is very minimal and simple. It's plain on the outside, and the inside has two folder-style pockets for the notebook cover to slide into. Those two sleeve flaps have slits in them that serve as pockets for wee papers. And there is a slim pen loop built into the back cover's edge. The edges of the leather are neatly finished, and the surface is smoothly pebbled. Some variety will appear in the leather, since each piece is unique. That's all for features. There is no closure, or bookmark, or any other accessories. It isn't over-designed, but it does its job well.

The cover is designed to fit the Midori MD A6 notebook, but it fits a variety of A6 notebooks, including the Hobonichi Techo A6 and the Hobonichi A6 blank books. The cover also comes in six other sizes to fit the variety of Midori notebooks available. A6 books with wider spines will be a bit of a tighter fit, but I've been pleasantly surprised by how many notebooks are compatible with this cover.

I've been using the A6 Midori notebook in this cover as my craft project tracker, which has been getting a lot of use as my holiday gift crafting has amped up. It's been a pleasure to use, and the pen loop keeps my writing tool handy at all times.

That being said, these are not inexpensive notebook covers. The A6 one sells for $85 on JetPens, which is a little on the high side, especially since it doesn't come with a notebook insert. That will set you back another $12.50 or so. It will probably last forever, though, and using it is a pleasure.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Hobonichi Techo 2025 Cover A5 Tragen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

I like Hobonichi covers almost as much as the notebooks themselves. Their standard covers are great, but this one offers some extra features I've found handy.

The A5 Tragen cover in Oakmoss is made from a lovely sage green nylon fabric with brown leather accents. The nylon is lightly textured and has a crisp feel to it, though it isn't stiff. The design looks both modern and vintage and I don't know enough about design to understand quite how it does that. Timeless, I guess they call it. In any case, it's lovely.

The cover takes A5 notebook inserts, and the notebook slides into pocket sleeves inside the main part of the cover. On the left inside cover, there is a vertical row of shallow pockets for small items. These would work great for sticky notes, book darts, washi cards, or bookmarks. I wouldn't recommend them for wallet cards, though, as the pockets are fairly loose and the case doesn't close at the top. If lifted upside down, items could easily slide out. On the inside right cover, there is a leather folder pocket that can hold scrap papers or other important notes. There is also a leather loop that can fit a pen clip in it. It's too narrow for a pen or pencil, but most clipped pens would work in this space.

The cover closes with a flap that folds over the front from the right side and it secures with a magnet to the front. There's no bulky snap or closure. The magnet has good hold, and is encased in a leather circle, so it closes quietly. The front flap is also a zipper pouch. The zipper is metal and has a leather pull tab. It's a very spacious pouch, though overstuffing it makes the magnet closure less effective. The sweet spot seems to be up to six pens, though it could hold dozens if you really want it to. And sometimes I do.

On the back of the case, on the outside, is an envelope pocket that can hold papers or even another slim notebook.

I have found that the case doesn't work well inside an overpacked bag, where friction of the other items inside cause the magnet to slide open and the cover flap smooshes off of the front. It definitely prefers to travel in an upright position inside a properly packed bag.

I don't have my planner in this case at the moment. I've been using it as an all-in-one writing kit, with my draft notebook in the case, some accessories in the small pockets, my planning notebook in the back pocket, and my writing and editing pens in the zipper pouch. It's perfect for brining to my evening writing groups, and I'll be taking this kit on its first writing retreat to the lake this weekend.

I am really enjoying this cover, and it's been used every day since it arrived several months ago. I do have some notebook covers that are better at notebook protection or accessory storage, but I like that this cover is so lightweight. It doesn't add any weight to my bag. It's also the prettiest A5 cover I own, in my opinion. I've worried a bit that I'd mess up the cover, as my writing group usually meets in cafes, diners, and bars, and we're writing on damp tables while eating cheese curds. But it looks as good as the day it arrived, so it handles rough travel well.

One major downfall of this case, though, is the price. It sells on JetPens for $81, which is quite high for a nylon case. Sure, there's leather bits, but they are tiny. I do tend to get sticker shock at Hobonichi products, but I rarely regret splurging on them. This case is undoubtedly well made. The stitching is tiny and precise, the lines are all straight and clean, and there isn't a loose thread in sight. Hobonichi products are also individually handmade. So while the price is high, I wouldn't say it's unfair. I have some Hobonichi covers that are over ten years old now, and they are still holding strong, so I trust in the quality and craftsmanship here. If you're looking for a good writing or planning kit, this is an excellent choice.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Bellroy Tokyo Folio Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

I love bags and I love notebooks, so there are few things better than a bag for my notebook--or a good notebook case. And this is a very good one. Bellroy is known for their excellent bags and accessories. The only one of their products I've tried before is the lunch bag, which is the best lunch bag I've ever owned, so I was very excited to meet the Tokyo Folio.

The premise of this case is that it's designed to carry both your analog and digital tools in one handy package. Specifically, it's designed to hold an iPad Mini in the sleeve behind a slim notebook, and the pockets on the left are perfect for carrying cables, Air Pods, etc., and the pen sleeve is designed to fit an Apple Pencil. I don't have any of that stuff. So here's what I put in all those pockets.

The notebook: The case comes with a slim A5 notebook with a cardstock cover. It's decent, with good paper and nice binding. But you know I love a chonky notebook, and unfortunately this case only holds slim ones. I could fit a softcover Leuchtturm notebook--but that eats up too much of the space needed for the other pockets. So slim notebooks it is. While it won't work for bigger writing projects, it's still very useful for meeting notes or a commonplace book, which is closer to its intended design.

Retro 51 - nope!

Pilot Precise - yep!

The pen: The pen loop, which is a long, narrow leather channel in the inside of the spine, is designed to hold an Apple Pencil, so it doesn't hold most pens. It's very slim. It does hold very narrow pens, like a Bic or a Pilot Precise. But it's not going to hold many of the pens that I prefer to use. That was a bit of a bummer.

The tech: This promises to hold an iPad Mini, so long as the tablet is not in a protective case. Happily, it holds my Kindle Paperwhite just fine, even with its case and pop socket on. The tablet sleeve is gusseted, so it isn't squeezing the device.

The accessories: The wee side pockets are also gusseted, so you can fit some handy tools there. Ear buds, pocket notebooks, a small pen case (yaknow, cause your pen won't fit in the pen sleeve) all fit nicely here. And the zipper pocket on the back is perfect for a phone.

Overall, it holds a great kit. It might not be everything I'd want for my own perfect gear configuration, but it's very well designed for what it's supposed to do. As a small, portable office kit, it's perfect. Take your notes, send some emails, keep your phone and music handy--fabulous. Personally, I'd trade the tablet pocket for a larger notebook capacity and expand that pen loop. Or maybe I just need to finally cave and get an iPad, just so I can carry it around in this snazzy case.

The case itself is very snazzy. The raven-colored nylon is elegant and practical. It looks office-y, but it's also waterproof. The zipper pulls are soft leather, and the wee silver owl logo delights me. This is totally the case Athena would carry to her meetings.

All that good quality does come with a price tag on it. The 8” Folio costs $119, while its 12.9" sibling costs $175. It's a bit on the steep side. I do have some folio cases that hold more but cost less. You can certainly feel the quality in this case, though, and I don't think the price is too out of line. It's nice enough that it's tempting me to try some of Bellroy's other bags, which is a dangerous path to tread, for my wallet. Of course Bellroy also makes wallets, so ...

Ultimately, this is a very good case and very well designed for what it is supposed to do. My only gripes with it are that it does not do what I wanted it to do, which is not what it was designed to do. I'm still going to use it, though, because I just like it. And it has a little owl on it.

(This product was purchased at regular retail price from Bellroy.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!