The Dude doesn’t get to the public library like he used to when he was younger, but a chance presented itself to use the excellent county library system a few weeks ago during some much needed vacation time. Attila and the AKO spent a few hours together with me meandering the stacks, each intent on finding our own small treasures to bring home. While picking through the substantial science fiction section, The Dude snagged a copy of William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition, a book that has been in print since 2003 but somehow never quite made it on the reading list. It was a fun read- Gibson can be hit or miss sometimes depending on the reader’s mood, and this book was no exception. The next book in the series, Spook Country, is now definitely on the shortnlist. On a related note, when did Star Trek, Star Wars, Vampire:The Masquerade, Warhammer, and Halo paperbacks start to take over the Science Fiction section of public libraries? A little less than one third of the science fiction/fantasy section at the local branch library consisted of these titles, and it came as a bit of a shock. Call The Dude a purist (or old), but keep that crap at Barnes and Noble/Borders, or throw it in the kiddie section.