Books can be time-consuming and heavy to move, this is a fact. However, should we be so quick to throw out such a great thing. According to many technology and e-readers are the future, but can you really replace or replicate the actual act of physically reading a book, turning a page, and smelling the print? While advocating for real books can be considered charming or whimsical, there are some real practical reasons for keeping real books around. Are you really going to repurchase your entire library on an e-reader? That could get really expensive! While electronic books may be cheaper than a newly released hardback, e-readers can’t compete with the prices of used books. Real books connect you to your past! A dog-eared page, highlights and notes in college text books, your favorite childhood picture book, these are all memories and markers of your past. Say you do purchase an e-reader for your kid, how are you going to be able to tell that Jr. is actually reading or doing his homework and not surfing the web or playing a game? Technology can be great, but don’t throw out all that is old in exchange for the new!