Over the Counter #335

What books caught my yes this week as they passed over the library counter and under my scanner? Performers this week.....dead and/or alive.....

First up is The Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing by Gavin Edwards.

From the publisher, Random House:

"This collection of the most epic, hilarious, and strange Bill Murray stories, many of which have never before been reported, spotlights the star’s extraordinary ability to infuse the everyday with surprise, absurdity, and wonder.

No one will ever believe you.

New York Times bestselling author Gavin Edwards, like the rest of us, has always been fascinated with Bill Murray—in particular the beloved actor’s adventures off-screen, which rival his filmography for sheer entertainment value. Edwards traveled to the places where Murray has lived, worked, and partied, in search of the most outrageous and hilarious Bill Murray stories from the past four decades, many of which have never before been reported. Bill once paid a child five dollars to ride his bike into a swimming pool. The star convinced Harvard’s JV women’s basketball team to play with him in a private game of hoops. Many of these surreal encounters ended with Bill whispering, “No one will ever believe you” into a stranger’s ear. But The Tao of Bill Murray is more than just a collection of wacky anecdotes. This volume puts the actor’s public clowning into a larger context, as Edwards distills Murray’s unique way of being into a set of guiding principles. A sideways mix of comedy and philosophy, full of photo bombs, late-night party crashes, and movie-set antics, this is the perfect book for anyone who calls themselves a Bill Murray fan—which is to say, everyone."

Next up is Elvis is Alive: The Complete Conspiracy by Xaviant Haze.

From the publisher, Adventures Unlimited Press:

"Oh Elvis, where art thou? Living on the Moon? Witness Protection? Kalamazoo? For more than 35 years Elvis lovers have been asking themselves this question, desperately wanting to believe their musical hero is still alive. Seeking to finally put the matter to rest, Xaviant Haze blows the Elvis conspiracies vault wide open with the first book dedicated solely to the mysteries surrounding the King of Rock n’ Roll. While giving an accurate and concise history of the King's life, he also illustrates how Elvis's talent was seized and controlled by the darker forces within the entertainment industry. The rise of an artist to celebrity status, his work while a mind control victim and his (or her) ultimate self-destruction has become an all-too-familiar story in pop culture, so frequently seen it can hardly be considered a coincidence. But Elvis was no manufactured Disney creation, he was a true one-of-a-kind talent rising from epic poverty to become one of the most iconic entertainers the world has ever seen. His was a tale of screaming fans, groundbreaking music, untold riches, dizzying fame and a spectacular free fall into obliteration. It was also a tale of UFO encounters, zany fake funerals, studies in metaphysics, numerology, occult theology—and a strange connection with Michael Jackson. An infamous pill addiction led the King to an early “death” and in the aftermath a pop culture phenomenon was born, enabling Elvis to sustain a famous afterlife thanks to over three decades of conspiracy theories. It’s time to reexamine these theories and put to rest once and for all the notion that Elvis could have faked his own death. If we can…"

(Over the Counter is a regular feature at A Bookworm's World. I've sadly come the realization that I cannot physically read every book that catches my interest as it crosses over my counter at the library. But... I can mention them and maybe one of them will catch your eye as well. See if your local library has them on their shelves!)