Life Stationery Noble A5 and B6 Notebook Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Noble Note line of notebooks from Life Stationery has long been on my radar of notebooks to try out since they get so much attention and are easily recommended. It's taken me a while to try these out because I have a first-world problem of having too many great notebooks to choose from in my stationery stash. But finally, I have a couple of these popular Japanese notebooks on my desk, and I've spent some time with them to see what the hype is all about.

I have the Life Noble A5 notebook in grid format and the Life Noble B6 notebook in lined format. Both of these are available in either grid, lined, or plain paper, and you can also get them in other sizes, like A4, B5, and more. The cover colors are locked to the paper format, though! I wouldn't normally pick lined over grid, but I just had to have the lovely blue cover in hand.

One of the first things that struck me about these notebooks is how well-made they feel. The binding is tight and clean, the edges are straight, and the cover design is crisp. Quality control on these notebooks is obviously very stringent.

Both notebooks have 100 sheets (200 pages) of ivory 84.9 gsm acid-free paper. The binding uses the perfect-bound technique, which involves several sections that are bound with thread and then connected to each other with an adhesive spine. It makes for a clean look where you can see the four sections from the side, and then the characteristic black spine tape. This also makes it easier for the notebook to lay open on its own.

The 84.9 gsm paper is a joy to use. I'm not a huge fan of ivory paper — I prefer white paper — but it's easy to look past that preference in this case. The paper doesn't feel thick, but it performs like thicker paper. I haven't noticed any adverse behaviors like feathering, bleeding, or skipping when writing in these notebooks. There's a bit of ghosting or show-through on the back of the page, but not enough to prevent you from writing on both sides of the sheet. When writing, the feel of the paper through the pen tip is smooth with subtle feedback that lets you easily control the pen. A little bit of texture in paper goes a long way, and these notebooks nailed the balance of smoothness and texture for great writing feel.

If I were to point out a couple of flaws that I've found with these books, it would be these two things: I wish the corners were rounded a bit to prevent them getting bent, and I wish the pages were numbered. Outside of that, it's tough to find anything wrong with these. The paper is excellent, the outside is aesthetically pleasing and functional, and the price is in line with the level of quality you're getting from the product.

These notebooks are slightly more luxurious than other notebooks I commonly use, but they're still well within reach for anyone that has chosen to pursue this hobby and appreciates good paper.

The Life Noble A5 is $23, while the Life Noble B6 is $17. They have plenty of great paper and will last a while with regular use. For the amount of paper you get with these notebooks, they're a great deal and the paper quality is really tough to beat. At this level of performance, it really just comes down to personal preference. If you've already found the perfect notebook and paper for you, then I'm really happy for you and I hope we all find that perfect match! But, if you're always looking for the next possible perfect match, then put the Life Noble notebooks at the top of your list.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Archer & Olive Beneath the Willows Notebook 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!)

Whenever I bring up the subject of pretty notebooks, whether it's with fellow Pen Addicts or with the normies, people often say the same thing: "It's too pretty to use" or "I'd be afraid to use it and ruin it." This always makes me sad, because a used notebook is a beautiful thing. The patina of creation they develop as they are written in only increases their beauty! Oftentimes, I'll give people the advice that Leigh Reyes gave us once at the Chicago Pen Show--ruin it first. Spill ink on the first page. There! Ruined! Now you can write whatever you want in it. Some folks run with that fantastic advice, but some still shy away from the idea of putting any blemish on a fine notebook. Happily, I've never had such inhibitions, and while I will save special notebooks for special projects, I'm always happy to ruin a pretty journal. I cannot wait to ruin this one.

Archer & Olive are apparently setting a trap for my wallet, baited with some of the most lovely notebooks I've ever seen. This Gentle Breeze journal is part of their Beneath the Willows Spring 2025 series. It comes in a drawer-and-slipcase storage box that is designed like a beautiful vintage book. Inside, wrapped in tissue paper, is the journal. The Gentle Breeze notebook comes in B5, A5, B6, 8X8", pocket, and TN sizes. This is the TN size, tall and narrow like a Traveler's Notebook. All have this olive-gold cotton fabric hardcover with the gold foil stamped design on the front, depicting reeds and cattails in shallow water. There are several other designs and colors available as well.

This TN size has 144 pages of 160gsm dot-grid paper. It has a folder pocket inside the back cover for holding loose bits of paper. It closes with an elastic band that is the same ochre color as the cover. There are two satin ribbon bookmarks. And there is a black elastic pen loop attached to the edge. The pen loop is the only element of the design that I don't care for. The black stands out a bit garishly, and while the loop keeps your pen handy, there's nothing protective about it. It's fine if you're just putting a Pilot G2 in there, but who uses a plain pen on such a fancy notebook? (No hate to the G2, she knows I love her.)

There is no need to stick to plain pens with this paper. Yes, 160gsm. I have notebooks with covers that are thinner than that. This is some heavy duty paper, and I did not have any bleeding or show-through with it, no matter what I was writing with. Even my broadest, wettest fountain pen did fine, and you couldn't see any trace of it from the other side of the page. Personally, I don't mind a bit of ghosting, and I'd rather have a million thin pages than a few thick ones, but this paper does feel quite luxurious.

Apparently Archer & Olive have quite a fan base and their products are super popular among the planner, journaling, and scrapbooking crowds. Aesthetically I totally get it, and the thick paper is perfect for those uses. The spine does require a bit of training before it will lie flat, but it does eventually do it.

Most importantly, it passes the hand test. When I hold it in my hands, it makes me want to write. The downside is, 144 pages fill up fast, even when you can use both sides. And these are on the pricier side, so I can't stockpile them the way I could with Midori or Kokuyo. This TN style sells for $31, with some styles costing as much as $39. I don't think it's unreasonable--these are fancy! It feels worth the price. But I'm less likely to spend that much on a notebook that won't last me as long. That being said, I hear they do Halloween editions, in which case, forget what I just said.

(Brad bought this notebook from Lighthouse Paper Co. at the 2025 Atlanta Pen Show.)

---

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!

Kleid x Maruman Mnemosyne B6 Memo Pad Review

I love a good stationery collaboration, and given my long-standing love of Maruman paper, I was excited to see what Kleid could bring to the table in their recent collaboration series.

The Kleid x Maruman Mnemosyne notebook series features several different sizes and shapes, ranging from the large A4 Landscape edition, all the way down to the pocketable Modified B7 design. My selection was one off from the smallest with the B6 Top-Bound Memo Pad - a perfect desk companion.

What else does this Kleid series of Mauruman notebooks feature over the standard Maruman lineup? An Olive cover, 2 mm grid spacing, and a several dollar premium for the privilege of using those first two features. This is the price we often pay for collaborations. Depending on your needs and likes, the product could be perfect and worth the extra few bucks, or none of it could be additive to your experience and the classic stock version is the best version.

Performance wise, this notebook meets my already high Maruman expectations. The paper is some of the best for all types of pens and inks, handling most everything I threw at it well. The only outlier was Waterman Radiant Pink, which is an older ink I often have problems with. It seems to be overly watery, which will go through many different types of paper, this one included. Otherwise, everything else was as expected. Heavy rollerball ink, like in the Schmidt P8127 did ghost, and of course the Sharpie flew right through the page.

If there is any downside to the paper it is that there isn’t much tooth for graphite to grab on too. If you like a more tactile pencil feel, Maruman paper would not be my choice.

Aside from my enjoyment of the paper on the inside, Maruman constructs some of the world’s best wire-bound notebooks. They charge a premium for even the standard models, but you get a premium experience. The wire binding is strong and durable, the covers are sturdy while having some flex, the perf is clean, and overall these notebooks are perfectly executed. While mostly known for this style, they have recently begun making hardbound journals, if that is more to your liking.

0.5 mm pencil, left, staying within the 2 mm. 0.5 mm uniball Zento using 4 mm grid spacing.

Outside of the price, I think the 2 mm grid is the biggest hangup with the Kleid collaboration. That’s Kleid’s thing, and it isn’t for everyone. It’s not even for me most of the time, as I prefer a 4 mm to 5 mm grid spacing. The tiny grid causes me to lose my place more, which in turn makes me have to think about the lines more. I don’t want to think, just write. Larger handwriting works better, using two or three lines at a time, for a more traditional 4 mm or 6 mm spacing.

LAMY Safari EF, LAMY Safari Blue ink, trying to stay on 6 mm spacing. There were a few failures.

In the end, as beautiful as I find the Kleid x Maruman Mnemosyne notebook series to be, I don’t think they are worth the premium. The B6 model I’m using is $10, and a standard lined B6 is $8.20 at JetPens. While most of these formats aren’t a 1:1 match, something like the more traditional Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Dot Grid is only $11.25, which is a far better bang for your buck versus the A5 Kleid collaboration, which runs $16.

Unless you are an Olive superfan (I know you are out there,) have to have 2 mm grid spacing, or are a Japanese stationery junkie (raises hand,) I’d stick with the standards when it comes to the Maruman Mnemosyne.

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

---

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!