There was a time when I actually used a bunko-bon novel as a notebook. It's a terrible thing to do to a book, but if you write with a fat marker it works as a memo pad. Even with the printed text underneath. And it's cheaper. I thought it was a good idea at the time, and I was young so I was being a bit rebellious, too. It's pretty punk to write in a novel, isn't it?
Can't wait to be able to get my hands on an English version Hobonichi.