Stationery Obsession: Products We Can’t Get Enough Of

With summer reading in full swing and a new school year fast approaching, it’s time to take a look at the stationery the Bookstr team can’t live without!

Abby Worthington –
Book Culture Bookish Lifestyle
The featured image shows two pink journals, one open and one closed, on a pink background. There is a block of pink post-it notes and a white pencil on top of the closed journal. On the pages of the open journal are scribbles and a doodle of a lightbulb. Pink highlights are arpund the journals' corners.

Most bookstores nowadays have a stationery section. And as avid readers know all too well, try as we might, there is no resisting the allure of a fresh journal or a new set of pens. 

Using stationery has become an integral part of the reading process. Whether it’s highlighting important passages or writing up your latest book review, stationery not only provides a practical system to stay organized but also a fun way to remain engaged. To help fuel your stationary obsession, we asked the Bookstr team to share some of their favorite go-to products.

Planners and Journals

The cover of a spiral bound planner from Ivory Paper Co. The image on the cover features a woman sitting at a desk working at her computer. She is surrounded by plants, posters, and books in a soft pink, green, blue, and brown tones.
IMAGE VIA IVORY PAPER CO.

I am a pen and paper girlie despite the plethora of beautiful digital planner options and note-taking programs. My favorite planner is the vertical weekly planner from Ivory Paper Co. 

  • Kristi Eskew, Executive Editor
The photo shows the cover of a planner from Papier. The background of the planner features thick yellow and cream vertical stripes with a green and blue squiggly border. A pattern of red and blue flowers and leaves overlays the background, and a maroon oval contains the name and information of the planner's owner in orange letters.
IMAGE VIA PAPIER

My birthday is January 1st, so I always get new stationery and a planner for my birthday. My favorite planners always come from Papier. They have so many different formats and the prettiest covers, and I think they look so pretty on a bookshelf once they are filled out.

  • Riley Harker, Editorial Intern 
The photo features a sage-colored Scribbles That Matter bullet journal with a mustard-colored strap to hold it closed. The journal includes a mustard-colored pen folder.
IMAGE VIA SCRIBBLES THAT MATTER

As an annual bullet journal user, I have tried many different journals to find the best one. I prioritize pages that are thick enough to prevent ink bleeding while being white, rather than a cream color. The Scribbles That Matter journals are simple and do exactly what needs to be done. I’m a big fan of the pen test page at the end, too.

  • Lindsey Barnett, Social Media Intern 

Writing Utensils 

The photo shows a four pack of S-Gel Pen Sharpies. There is a enlarged version of the pen next to the pack.
IMAGE VIA AMAZON

I love Sharpie S-Gel pens! They are the absolute best! They are so smooth and don’t smear or smudge. If you are someone who still puts pen to paper in any form, you know these are top-tier when it comes to writing utensils!

  • Michelle Krieger, Video Manager
This photo shows the Precise V-5 Pilot pens in blue, red, green, and pink.
IMAGE VIA AMAZON

My favorite pen to use is the Pilot Precise V5. It’s a thin tip, comes in SO MANY COLORS, dries instantly, and is smoother than silk.

  • Kristi Eskew, Executive Editor 
This image shows the Zebra midliner highlighter in blue, pink, orange, turquoise, and green.
IMAGE VIA ZEBRA

For pens, I love U-Eco Gel pens paired with a Zebra highlighter. I think they both just have nice colors and a clean look.  

  • Riley Harker, Editorial Intern
IMAGE VIA AMAZON

I absolutely love annotating my books with highlighters and tabs. My favourite highlighters to use are the Stabilo highlighters, which come in a wide range of colours, from bold and bright to muted and pastel. I always try to match the book cover or vibe to the annotating kits that I use, so if it’s a light and fluffy romance, I’ll use lighter coloured tabs, pens, and highlighters, but if it’s a horror or a dark academia type read, then I will use darker colours.

  • Olivia Ackers, Outreach, Editorial, and Graphics Intern
This photo shows a five pack of the G-2 0.7 Pilot gel pens in a five pack.
IMAGE VIA AMAZON

Pilot G-2 0.7 gel pens! They are my favorite writing instrument, and I always keep a bin of them on hand at my desk (they have a tendency to go missing from my office and end up in my husband’s office somehow). I’m also quite partial to a set of Joey Chou colored pens I picked up from Disney World a few years back. They’re not the best pens ever, but he is one of my favorite illustrators, so every time I use them, I smile.

  • Cara Broel, Editorial and Outreach
This photo shows two MUJI pens laying side-by-side on a blank sheet of journal paper. The left pen has "0.3 mm" and a squiggle written above it, and the right have "0.5 mm" and a squiggle written above it.
IMAGE VIA MUJI

The Muji Smooth Retractable Colour Gel Pen 0.3mm is my favorite pen ever. It’s not too thick, not too thin, so it takes up the perfect amount of space on the page. Since it’s a gel ink, the feeling of writing on paper is SO SMOOTH. For me, it’s way better than fineliner pens, which can have their tips bent or damaged if you press too hard or drop them, or non-gel pens, because their ink constantly skips when you write. The amount of ink dispensed by the Muji pen is always consistent, so you don’t see ink blobs!

  • Clara de Moraes, Outreach Intern

Other Cool Things

This photo shows a series of envelopes and stationery paper designed with Japanese watercolor drawings. They come in a variety of colors, including pink, purple, orange, green, yellow, and blue. In the center of the photo there are sticker sheets with circular stickers matching the watercolor designs on the envelopes.
IMAGE VIA AMAZON

The TaoBary 160 Pack Stationery Paper Set is my favorite for writing personalized birthday letters. I love the Japanese watercolor designs that give each sheet a soft, elegant, and artistic feel. The variety of patterns adds a personal touch to my letters, and the quality of the paper makes writing smooth and enjoyable. It is perfect for letters, journaling, or any creative projects!

  • Alysha Medina, Outreach Intern
This photo features a sticker sheet with library-themed stickers from Suatelier.
IMAGE VIA MOCHITHINGS

About a year ago, I got really into junk journaling. One of my favorite touches to add to any spread is stickers! (I truly am a sticker fiend.) My go-to brand at the moment is Suatelier, a South Korean stationery brand that is absolutely adorable. Their stickers are beautiful and come in a variety of styles, so I can always find the perfect sheet that I need for my projects. I could quite literally spend all day scrolling through their website, looking at all the different designs.

  • Abby Worthington, Editorial Intern

Now is the perfect time to invest in new stationery to prepare you for school or to improve your reading experience. Why not start with some of our wonderful recommendations?

Need some beautiful books to pair with your exquisite stationery? Check out Bookstr’s recs here. 

For a deeper dive into awesome journals for readers, click here!

FEATURED IMAGE VIA BOOKSTR / ABBY WORTHINGTON