A Manager’s Work Is Never Done

Opie: The Dog, The Legend

Hello. I’m Opie Brennan, manager of Parnassus Books. (Technically, I’m the dog of the manager of Parnassus Books; but let’s not dwell on semantics.) As a leader on the shop team, I play a very important role in daily operations. Here, you can see I’m organizing a batch of special orders for customers. I love helping someone hunt down a hard-to-find book. What else do I do all day? Here’s the rundown:

* * *

Meeting
Morning: Meet at the gate to go over the day’s schedule with Gracie. Attempt to gather some intelligence on what the people will be having for lunch today. Will it be fried rice? I hope it’s fried rice. They ALWAYS drop a little fried rice.

* * *

at the door
Check to see if Sparky and Bear are coming in yet.

* * *

rep
Meet with a publisher’s rep (Randy Hickernell with Hachette Book Group). Give some answers: Yes. No. Yes. Yes. No. Maybe. Yes. Bacon.

* * *

not a horse
Visit storytime in children’s section. Retreat to comfy chair to reflect on incident in which a toddler attempted to ride me like a horse. Feel proud of my own calmness in handling the matter.
Then go check again to see if Bear and Sparky are here yet.

* * *

ladder
Try to find that book Andy’s searching for. He probably hasn’t looked up here.

* * *

Check email. Oh, looks like I have a message from my fellow store-hound, Eleanor Roosevelt:

EleanorDear Opie,

What books taste best to you?

My favorite books to eat are clothbound hardbacks. They have a nice chewy toughness to them and don’t turn to pulp as quickly as paperbacks. I prefer old ones, because they have more layers of smells, but new ones will do. The special editions from Penguin Books are nice, and I’ve noticed that if I eat one of those, the people in my house make an especially loud and festive fuss.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

– – – – –

opie emailDear Eleanor,

What a thrill to hear from you. I’d love to talk books. I have to say that I am not much of a book chewer. Working in the bookstore allows me to sample all the take-out places in Nashville thanks to Karen and Niki. No matter how tasty an author might be they pale compared to Baja Burrito.

However, I do find books very useful for hiding chew toys and other valuables. Since Andy’s library constantly has piles of books on the floor, they make perfect hiding places. Recently I destroyed a copy of The Double Game while hiding a delicious bone. The beauty of it is he never gets to the bottom of the pile, so I know my treats are secure.

Time to get back to work. Talk to you soon.
– Opie

* * *

reading is fundamental
Read up in preparation for an author visit.

* * *

napping
Hear Karen say Sparky is coming in tomorrow and Bear is arriving at the store in an hour. Oh, well. Better take a nap under the office desk to conserve energy.

* * *

There’s more to my day, of course; but I can’t tell you everything. Some of it is highly classified.

See you in the store.

opie nametag

* * *

Read Opie’s favorites:
$14.99
ISBN-13: 9780061537967
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Harper Perennial, 6/2009
$16.00
ISBN-13: 9780140187953
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Penguin Classics, 2/1994

The Bookshop Dog (Hardcover)

$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780590543316
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days

The Double Game (Paperback)

$15.95
ISBN-13: 9780307744401
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Vintage, 5/2013
$4.99
ISBN-13: 9780141321059
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Puffin Books, 4/2008
$14.95
ISBN-13: 9781400032716
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Vintage, 5/2004
special edition

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Special Edition Hardcover)

By Arthur Conan Doyle, Christopher Frayling
$20.00
ISBN-13: 9780141192437
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Penguin Classics Hardcover
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