On a recent afternoon, I was passing the time browsing books at the Baker County Public Library while my son was at practice for Oregon Battle of the Books.

His meeting is only about 30 minutes, so I decided to stick around until he was done.

Libraries are a fantastic place to pass the time.

First I headed to the shelves for new releases, then wandered farther into the stacks with no set destination.

I only made it to the Bs before I spotted “Jaws” by Peter Benchley right at eye level.

In case anyone needs a refresher, “Jaws” is about a gigantic great white shark that terrorizes swimmers on the beaches of Amity, a town on the Atlantic coast that depends on summer tourism.

I slid the novel from its place. I’ve seen the movie multiple times but I’ve never read the book. (It pains me to admit this — I’m a staunch supporter of “The book was better” T-shirts and mugs.)

The book came out in 1974. The movie, directed by 27-year-old Steven Spielberg, was released in 1975.

I’m not sure when I first watched the movie but I’m sure it was with my older brother — who also found it hilarious to hum the “Jaws” music theme whenever I was in the water, inciting panic even though I was in fresh water and far away from any great white shark.

As I read the novel, I couldn’t help but picture the movie’s actors — Roy Scheider as the police chief Martin Brody, and Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper, the marine biologist.

The novel is a quick read, and quite different from the movie. Several subplots were left out of the screenplay, mainly the episode involving Brody’s wife and Hooper. There’s also a section about the mafia’s part in Amity’s real estate market, but I don’t think that would have enhanced the movie much.

The foreword by the author was interesting — essentially, he wouldn’t write the same story with the current knowledge that sharks don’t want to eat humans, and most interactions are a mistake because a swimmer in a wetsuit looks like a seal, which is a great white’s favorite meal.

I see the logic in that but I can also see how a giant shark could be a fascinating monster for a horror story. Just consider the teeth — according to National Geographic, the great white has 300 serrated teeth arranged in several rows.

That sounds terrifying.

I’m glad I read the book. Some parts made me cringe — there are a few societal issues that don’t resonate well these days. As for the characters, the crusty fisherman Quint is very cruel in the book, and Brody didn’t really seem like a nice person, especially to his wife.

I found an article comparing the book and movie, and this line made me laugh: “Long story short, you want the shark to eat the characters in the book.”

(If you’re curious about the full review, visit bit.ly/3YXXY68.)

Regardless of the reality, this shark makes a mighty good bad guy for a horror story. The book’s action goes right up to the very last page, which keeps you speeding to the end to see who triumphs, and who becomes fish food. (The book ending is different from the movie, by the way.)

Now I need to go watch the movie. Again.