To balance out the bullet journal frenzy I've been on lately I finished a light purple linen guest book with a distressed gold spine and really pleasing proportions. I personally like the landscape format, especially for guest books - pages that are wider than they are tall stay open particularly well, and have a nice flow when leafing through the pages. Somehow the tactile experience of handling a book is even more enjoyable than it is with portrait format books.
Speaking about what it's like to handle a book: I've now repeatedly read how people find it pleasing to crack the spine of their new notebook, how it's one of their favourite sounds, etc. - but, listen to me people, the spines aren't supposed to crack! Cracking sounds mean there's something getting damaged there, and I don't believe it's a good thing that you need to damage your new book before you've even gotten to use it. Well made (=usually skillfully handmade) notebooks won't crack when you first open them - they just open. The spine is supposed to be flexible enough to handle the process of repeated opening and closing without cracking sounds and damage.
If you end up with a book that resists opening (either a notebook with a stiff spine, or pretty much any printed hardcover book you're about to read), please don't force it! Here's a detailed tutorial on how to open a new book - it's worth a read if you want to extend the lifespan of your book.
