In just a few short years,Jasmine Guilloryhas become one of the buzziest romance novelists around.
(The media company has also optioned her work.)
Her latest book,While We Were Dating,hits shelves July 13.
Jasmine Guillory’s latest book is ‘While We Were Dating’.Andrea Scher; Penguin
Of course, before Guillory was a feted author, she was a reader.
Here are the books that changed her life.
My favorite book as a child
This is an impossible question.
‘Ballet Shoes,’ by Noel Streatfeild.Yearling
Because I had many childhood favorites, which I still own right now.
Picture books likeThe Little Engine That Could, which I love and give to many, many babies.
[But] I was obsessed with theShoesbooks [by Noel Streatfield], especiallyBallet Shoes.
‘The Wedding Date,’ by Jasmine Guillory.Berkley
My favorite book to read in school
I really loved reading Shakespeare in school.
But that’s a way to get teenagers excited about reading Shakespeare.
Teachers should really flip that script.
‘How to Write an Autobiographical Novel,’ by Alexander M. Chee.Mariner Books
We readMacbeth,Hamlet,Romeo and Juliet.Romeo and Julietgets a bad rap because they die at the end.
But it’s not supposed to be a romance, it’s a tragedy.
It’s so poetic.
Regé-Jean Page in ‘Bridgerton’.LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
I love language, and I loved reading all of those books in school.
A book I’ve read over and over and over
There’s so many.
Because I am a huge re-reader.
‘Here for It,’ by R. Eric Thomas.Random House
It’s a collection of essays throughout his life as a writer and a writing teacher.
It gives me new insights into my own life and my own writing every time I re-read it.
Every time I re-read, I see something new.
‘Destiny’s Embrace,’ by Beverly Jenkins.Avon Books
The last book that made me swoon
Honey Girl, by Morgan Rogers.
It’s just so romantic.
The last book that made me laugh
Here For It, by R. Eric Thomas.
‘The Three Mothers,’ by Anna Malaika Tubbs.HarperCollins
The last book that made me cry
The Yellow House, by Sarah M. Broom.
I found so many parallels to it about my life and my family.
She talks about about her family before and after the hurricane.
I was just like, “Oh, well, maybe I needed this right now.”
My favorite movie adaptation of a book
It’s a tie betweenCluelessand10 Things I Hate About You.
Two of the best teen movies ever and are also wonderful adaptations of great books that I love.
It’s a collection of short stories, which are very different but all resonant in so many ways.
My mom was like, “I read that in like an hour and a half.”
And then we had to talk about all the stories.
There are some super-recent ones that really stand out to me, likeThe Kiss Quotientis so, so great.
That’s what really made me cheer for both characters and everything surrounding them.
The book I’m reading right now
I’m readingThe Three Mothers, by Anna Malaika Tubbs.
It is about the mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, and Malcolm X.
