Memory Book, Five-Year Journal or Guided Journal: Which One Is Right for You?
If you want to hold on to the days that matter, you'll quickly find three kinds of books on offer: memory books, five-year journals and guided journals. They look similar on a shelf, but they ask very different things of you. Here's how they compare, so you can pick the one you'll actually keep using.
The short answer
If you want a small daily habit, a five-year journal is lovely. If you want someone to tell their life story, a guided journal is the one. If you only want to write when something special happens, and keep doing it for decades, go for a memory book with a page for every date, also called a perpetual memory book.
Five-year journals (one line a day)
A five-year journal gives each date one page, split into five small boxes, one for each year. You write a line or two every day, and from the second year on you can see what you were doing on the same day last year.
They're great if you like routine and enjoy a small daily ritual. The catch is the "every day" part. Miss a week and the empty boxes start to feel like homework, and after five years the book is full and you start again.
Guided journals
Guided journals are full of questions: where did you grow up, how did you meet, what was your first job. They're usually given to a parent or grandparent, who fills them in and hands them back. The "Tell me your story" books for mum, dad or grandparents are the best-known examples.
They're a beautiful way to capture one person's life story, because nobody has to wonder what to write. But once the questions are answered, the book is done. It's a record of the past rather than a place for what happens next.
Memory books with a page for every date
This is the format our Book of Special Days uses, and the one my family has kept for three generations. There's a page for every date of the year, but no years printed on it. When something special happens, you find the date, write the year and a few lines about what made the day special. A wedding, a first step, a new home, or just a perfect day at the beach.
Because you only write on the days worth remembering, there's nothing to fall behind on. And because the years aren't printed, the book never runs out. Over time each page collects memories from different years, so 14 June might hold a graduation, a first swim in the sea and a grandchild's birthday, twenty years apart.
Side by side
| Five-year journal | Guided journal | Perpetual memory book | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How often you write | Every day | Whenever, until the questions run out | Only on special days |
| How long it lasts | Five years | Until it's filled in | As long as you keep writing |
| Who it's about | You, day to day | One person's life story | You, your family, everyone you share it with |
| Best for | People who love a daily habit | Parents and grandparents with stories to tell | Families, couples, new parents, anyone starting a new chapter |
| Can be shared | Not really | Written by one, read by many | Yes, several people can add to it |
Which one makes the better gift?
It depends on who it's for. A five-year journal suits someone who already journals. A guided journal is perfect for a parent or grandparent whose stories you want to keep. For a wedding, a new baby, a housewarming or a milestone birthday, a memory book with a page for every date tends to work best, because it grows with the people who receive it. Here's why it works so well as a wedding gift.
You can also combine them. Some of our customers keep a guided journal for granny's stories and a Book of Special Days for everything that happens from now on. You'll find all our books, including the ones for family recipes and guests, in our memory books collection.
FAQ
What is a perpetual memory book?
A memory book with a page for every date of the year but no years printed, so you can keep adding to it year after year. You only write when something special happens.
What's the difference between a five-year journal and a memory book?
A five-year journal asks for a line every day and is full after five years. A perpetual memory book only asks you to write on special days and never runs out.
Is a guided journal or a memory book better for grandparents?
A guided journal is best if you want their life story. A memory book is best if you want a place to record family moments with them from now on.
Can a family share one memory book?
Yes. Many families keep one book on the shelf and everyone adds to it, which is how it becomes a family heirloom.