Thomas Pynchon Sighting!

Thomas Pynchon -- the author who makes JD Salinger seem like a publicity hound -- hits the bestseller lists with his new book "Against The Day," a door-stopper of a novel that debuts at #13 on the New York Times bestseller list. It's described there as "Pynchonesque," which seems a tad redundant, don't you think? I mean, how could a book by Pynchon NOT be Pynchonesque? It's the only hint of serious fiction on the chart, which is a little unusual this time of year. Normally, other heavyweight authors deliver big titles, but no one is even close except for Dave Eggers and Cormac McCarthy. On the nonfiction list, as I predicted Barack Obama's new book slides a bit after the elections and is replaced at the top by John Grisham's "The Innocent Man." And if booksellers wonder why sales are slow, just look at the creeping prices of paperbacks, where even mass market titles now often cost $10. By the way, keep checking back for my extensive interview with Thomas Pynchon, which I'll post later this week along with a video record of our chat via You Tube and a downloadable podcast on iTunes. He's hilarious!