I love the feeling of a book in my hands. The weight of it, the texture of the pages on my fingers, and the fact that I can flip backward 26 pages and then forward 22 pages, all without waiting for the software to catch up, or losing my place. Yes, I’m one of those people–you’ll probably never see me on the beach with an e-reader in my hands. It’s convenient, but it’s not as real, you know?

Two of my kids have followed in my footsteps and read voraciously as well. I know some kids prefer to read on their phones or tablets, but we remain a low-tech family, thankfully. I can’t guarantee it’ll stay that way, but for now? I completely indulge Amy and Silas and their desire to read All The Books.

This can by slightly cost-prohibitive, especially when the waitlist for everyone’s favourite YA novel is 15 deep. I honestly don’t understand how YA writers have become as popular as celebrities, but I digress. Recently, we were introduced to Bookoutlet.ca, a website that sells discounted new books at 50-90% off retail prices.

When I first heard about it, I rolled my eyes. I mean, there are lots of discount books out there, but how many are actually goodbooks? But when I started browsing the site, I saw lots of the latest YA for Amy, and more than a few celebrity memoirs and popular novels. Graphic novels and comics, along with colouring books and journals, all carry some serious appeal, and if I happen to need to buy a birthday gift for a younger child, they have a toys section, too.

The best part is the free shipping, when your order is more than $45. And because it’s a Canadian company, we’re not talking about $60 CAD, with the exchange rate.

Take it from me–reading is a mentally rewarding hobby to have, but it certainly doesn’t reward your pocket. Having a website (or physical location) to visit where you can spend less money to get more books is everything. Especially when you’re spending the rest of your money on renovations…