Jasmine Guillory stopped the 3rd Hour of TODAY earlier this year to share books to read this spring — and she's back to share more books to read this fall, ranging from romance to memoir.
Guillory is the author of "The Wedding Date," "The Proposal" and "While We Were Dating." She also had two books that came out in 2022: "By the Book: A Meant to be Novel" and the most recent, "Drunk on Love," out Sept. 20.
Set in a Black-owned winery, "Drunk on Love" kicks off a series of romance novels unfolding in California's Napa Valley. Chardonnay is optional while reading the tale of Margot Noble, who runs a winery with her brother, and Luke Williams, the guy she thinks is her one-night stand, but actually ends up being her winery's new hire.
Below, see a peek at the books that Guillory recommends, from an adventure tale to a "truly wonderful romance," all written by women of color.
'Killers of A Certain Age' by Deanna Raybourn
Fans of "Killing Eve," this rip-roaring book is for you. "Killers of a Certain Age" shows that you can be an assassin at any stage, and any phase — but know that there's risk involved.
"This book is pure adventure in the best way: four women in their sixties, who just happen to be professional assassins, have been targeted by the organization they work for, and they have to save themselves, and each other," Guillory said, summarizing the plot.
"Don't start this book if you have anything else to do — work, sleep, eat — because it's virtually impossible to put down," Guillory said.
'The Hookup Plan' by Farrah Rochon
"The Hookup Plan" is a pick for anyone who has seen all the rom coms on this list. Published earlier this year, the novel follows London Kelley, a pediatric surgeon, looking for a bit of relief and relaxation — in the form of a hookup. But her best prospect happens to be her now-successful high school nemesis, whom she reconnects with at their reunion.
"I love everything that Farrah Rochon writes, and 'The Hookup Plan' is no exception. It's about friendship, ambition, family, and falling in love even when you don't want to. A truly wonderful romance," she said.
'On the Rooftop' by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
"On the Rooftop" whisks readers away to San Francisco in the 1950s, where a mother (more specifically, a stage mom) shapes her three talented daughters into a jazz band, The Salvations.
"She has hopes and dreams for them, and will do anything to make them come true, but she comes to realize that her daughters have hopes and dreams of their own. The writing in this book is so good that I lingered over so many passages, and I thought about this book long after I finished it," Guillory said.
'The Man Who Could Move Clouds' by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
"The Man Who Could Move Clouds" is an unconventional memoir, blending magical realism with facts from the author's family history in Colombia, and her own experience with amnesia in her 20s.
"I've never read a memoir like this; it takes you on a journey back in time, in the author's life and in that of her mother and her grandmother and grandfather, it takes you to other countries, and in and out of dreams. The writing is mesmerizing and all enveloping, and the story itself is completely absorbing," she said.