@ProudMary It's difficult in the way that all of Pynchon's books are difficult. Deep and weird, but, at least to me, enlightening and hilarious. He's not a straightforward novelist in the traditional sense. He follows his own path, and there's not really anything I can compare it to. You'll just have to try him and see if he's your cup of tea or not. I've read all of his stuff, and I love most of it.

@ProudMary I use alibris for used books. Thanks for the heads up, though.

@ProudMary By the way, if you're looking for a straightforward biography of Mason & Dixon, this isn't it. It's weird, but enlightening.