The two that I have right now are Lorrie Moore's Birds of America and a book of writing excercises called Now Write! I thought I had more than this (at least five), but I think I'm remembering books from elementary school, specifically at least one Babysitter's Club book (perhaps the Babysitter's Club notebook, where you were supposed to record your own babysitting engagements?). I admit that many more books for children twelve and under have notebook-lined covers than do those aimed at adults.
But why?
As much as most people claim to have hated school, I bet that once they've been slaving away at a job full of drudgery for a certain number of years, the nostalgia alone would cause them to pick up the notebook-covered book. And it would work very well for self-help, where pretty much every title requires the reader to keep some sort of journal or list. Just looking at a sheet of blank notebook paper inspires the setting of new goals, the possibilities of a fresh start:
Maybe that's just the writer and list-maker in me.
Coming in at a close second to notebook-cover books are those with simulated handwriting on the cover. A good example is Vivian Gornick's The Situation and the Story. I think Possession might fall into this category as well. There seem to be many more adult books with handwriting on the cover than plain old notebook lines.
Warning: sometimes these can get a little sappy, especially if it's cursive writing meant to imply a love letter. They can also involve ironic, reminiscent bubble or pencil-drawn characters meant to evoke notes passed in high school (think the logo for the movie Juno).
Due to its ability to attract the immediate attention of anyone who went to school in the 80s or 90s (now kids just text), this technique is starting to become ubiquitous and therefore "played out."
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