Reading With Elvis

Book Buzz is a blog produced in collaboration with neighborhood librarians from Houston Public Library, Harris County Public Library and the Bellaire Library.

Last weekend I went to Las Vegas for a wonderful trip to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday. The words had just left her mouth – “I want to see Elvis” – when we walked outside of the hotel and suntanned Elvis in his white suit rode up to us on a motorized scooter.

Many photos later, I was thinking of how much that Elvis reminded me of one of my favorite fictional characters in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries, a confused vampire named Bubba. It seems that Mr. Presley had just enough life in him when he got to the morgue for a vampire fan to attempt to “turn” him. The process didn’t work out quite right and now Bubba subsists on cat blood and becomes quite upset when anyone mentions E-L-V-I-S or asks him to sing. So, the sightings are real.

I don’t know if it is because I am from Memphis and grew up hearing his music and stories about Graceland, but I seem to have read quite a few books that feature a fictional Elvis, as well as some non-fiction books. For all of his fame and fortune, his life was kind of sad, so maybe that’s why I prefer reading the novels. A fun nostalgic experience without troublesome reality.

Here are a few others in that category that you might enjoy:

The Enigmatologist by Ben Adams is the story of a screwball sort of investigation, the first in a trilogy. A private investigator and crossword puzzle designer is energized by a call from the National Enquirer to verify that the photo they just received is, in fact, a still living Elvis.

Peggy Webb writes a cozy mystery series featuring a purebred Basset Hound in Tupelo, Mississippi, who is the reincarnation of Elvis. I think you know from that sentence if these books are for you. If that sounds like fun, start with Elvis and the Dearly Departed.

All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall is a bit different. Thirteen-year-old Josh goes to Chicago to visit his father, who used to be a normal shoe salesman. What he finds when he arrives is that his father has transformed into a sideburn-wearing, hip-twisting, embarrassing Elvis impersonator.

Finally, Kill Me Tender by Daniel Klein features the young King himself solving the mysteries of the deaths of several of his fan club presidents.

This is truly niche (but fun) reading! Have I missed a fictional Elvis that you would like to share?