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 you’re worth it.After interviewing experts, researching over 100 notebooks, and writing zealously in 34 of them side by side over several weeks, we have picks in a number of sizes and styles, priced from about $10 to $40 (at this writing). 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.We mention price per page when it’s notable, but our picks average 11 cents per page (at this writing). We also mention paper weight or thickness when that spec is important, but most of these high-quality pages are 80 to 90 grams per square meter (gsm); thicker isn’t always better, but all of the paper in our picks felt substantial and satisfying for us to write on. And most of the notebooks we tested had 7 mm lined ruling (close to college rule), but we note the exceptions below.Everything we recommendA medium softcover notebook with silky pages: Apica Premium C.D. Notebook (A5) Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterA medium softcover notebook with more texture: Midori MD Notebook (A5) Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterA hardcover notebook for journaling or planning: Leuchtturm1917 Hardcover Notebook Classic (A5) Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterThe best budget hardcover notebook: Paperage Hardcover Lined Journal Notebook Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterThe best spiral-bound notebook: Maruman Mnemosyne N194A Special Memo Notebook Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterDisc-bound notebook for maximum customizability: Levenger Circa Notebook Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterAn upgraded pocket-size notebook: Field Notes 3-Pack Original Kraft Memo Books Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterBest reporter notebook: Field Notes 2-Pack Front Page Reporter’s Notebooks Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterThe best steno notepad: Maruman Mnemosyne N166 Steno Pad (A5) Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterThe best legal pad: Rhodia No. 19 Yellow Pad Michael Hession/NYT WirecutterA medium softcover notebook with silky pages: Apica Premium C.D. Notebook (A5) Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter