BOOK CLUB: DEAR DIARY

Is this journal a) easy to use, b) fun to use, or c) all of the above?

There are two types of people in the world: Those who can fill the blank pages of a diary in about a month, and those who get overwhelmed just thinking about it.

We’ve never snuck a peek at artist Philipp Keel’s journal, but we imagine he falls into the latter category—mostly because his latest creation, Simple Diary, makes chronicling your life a whole lot easier.

Simple Diary lives up to its name, turning daily entries into an art experiment. Every page features a series of questions, some reflective, others just ridiculous. You can fill in the blank to, “Who is brilliant and does not have a clue?”, answer “yes” or “no” to the question, “Do you like popcorn?”, or make a graph of your life.

And unlike personal diaries, which are usually hidden away under mattresses or in bedside tables, you won’t mind leaving Simple Diary on your coffee table; the book is released by Taschen, purveyor of fine art books and fancy hardcovers. But instead of charging upwards of $100, this tome goes for just $15.

Which just might leave you with enough money to do something diary-worthy.
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

Visit simplediary.com for more info.



This story was published on June 8, 2009.