As I type this, it’s on 10 degrees in Ottawa. There’s no denying it – here we are at yet another September. This time last year, Mary Anne had just chosen Something Fierce. But now we’re back to school, back to work, and saying goodbye to cottages, long sunny days and escaping with a good book.

Well… maybe not the last part.

Because regardless of the time of year, the UBC girls find time to read. We’re not sure how we manage some months, but we do. Only rarely do we let work, law school, babies, breakups or travel get in the way of our quality time with a good book.

Personally, fall reads are my favourite. There’s nothing like curling up with a cup of tea, cozy blanket and a page-turner as the leaves fall outside and a crisp chill in the air moves in.

Plus, it means Christmas is right around the corner. (Too soon? Probably. Sorry.)

Enough of my rambling – let’s get to the point. I’m not sure about anyone else, but the month of August vanished before my eyes. I feel like it was just last weekend we were partyin’ it up at book club slumber party and having our photos taken by the fabulous Laura Kelly.

A few things have happened since then – first, we joined Facebook! Take a moment to like our page and get all the latest book-related news. The same day, we also had a record amount of hits on the blog. Thank you!

Everyone loves a good BuzzFeed list, right? Well this one was made for us and our followers: 17 Problems Only Book Lovers Will Understand. You’re welcome.

And the biggest news of the month can only be summed up with an image:

Yup. Christian and Ana have come to life in the form of Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson.

I am 100% OK with this casting, actually. All I wanted was for them to cast people relatively unknown for the roles (as opposed to Ryan Gosling and Alexis Bedel). I know Sons of Anarchy fans know Charlie well, but I’d never seen or heard of him. I’m assuming I’m not alone. I know there are people who vehemently oppose the choices for Mr. Grey and Ms. Steele… but I’m confident they were chosen for a good reason.

We can’t wait for the movie to come out next August – another opportunity for “book club goes to the movies”!

As for our September pick, it was founding member Cat Kitts’ turn this month. It’s her third book choice in the last three years, having previously chosen Never Let Me Go and the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey.

She chose a novel recently long-listed for the coveted Man Booker Prize – TransAtlantic by Colum McCann. It’s a story about the history and politics that tie Canada, the USA and Ireland together over a period of 150+ years, and, as the title suggests, the first transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to the west coast of Ireland.

McCann is famous for his intricate writing, weaving characters together in a style similar to movies like Crash or Babel. His last novel, Let the Great World Spin, did astoundingly well, but this latest one is expected to do even better.

After an easy read like The Dinner (Erin H. is going to bring you that review early next week), this will undoubtedly be a challenge. It’s a period of history many of us are unfamiliar with, but curious about.

We’d love to hear from you. What did you read this summer?