It was a Tuesday in July, and the people of Parnassus Books were very busy. Every Tuesday is busy, of course, because Tuesdays are when new books come out. But on this particular Tuesday, the new releases included a book that people worldwide had been talking about. Many folks had already pre-ordered it and were on their way to the store to get their copies. There was lots to do.
First, the shop-people had to slice open all these boxes. The boxes were a big deal, but none of the shop dogs were allowed to go near the boxes to sniff and investigate. That seemed unfair.The store welcomed customers early at 8 a.m., and before the doors were even officially open, someone from NBC Channel 4 News came and put this big thing up on the rug where the shop dogs like to sit. No one asked the shop dogs if it was OK.Karen and Ann and Niki talked to reporters and customers and everyone who had questions. But no one had any questions for the shop dogs (which is really too bad, because the shop dogs are always FULL of answers).Opie brought his favorite babydoll out to the floor, but no one had time to play.Lots of Nashvillians came by on their way to work to pick up their books. There were donuts from Fox’s Donut Den and coffee from Yeast Nashville. But were there any platters of dog snacks? No. No, there were not.Everyone was eating their breakfast and chatting about what they were reading.It was all “something-something-Harper-Lee” and “blah-blah-blah-Southern-literature-blah.” No one wanted to talk about squirrels or cheese.No one even wanted to talk about cats.Some of the shop ladies passed out ham biscuits and wore shirts that said “Pass the damn ham, please,” which is a line from a book called To Kill a Mockingbird, which as the shop dogs have pointed out before, isn’t at all about birds. Also, no one passed the shop dogs any damn ham. False advertising is everywhere.Everyone was busy greeting people . . .. . . and smiling back at happy customers . . .. . . and sharing chairs with their fellow humans . . .. . . and showing off their T-shirts (that’s Kathy, who was also busy talking to the Wall Street Journal) . . .. . . and making fancy themed displays.But it seemed like no one was going to take the time to look UNDER the displays. Until . . .A lull in the action! Once the shop people had a minute to slow down, the shop dogs on morning duty got all the attention they wanted. Belle got the snuggle she’d been waiting for.Bear got a scratch.And Opie FINALLY got to play tug-of-war with his babydoll.
So in the end, the day was just fine after all.
Did you pre-order Go Set a Watchman? If so, we’ve got your book ready for you! If not, no worries — we have plenty. Come on in anytime!
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Not in Nashville? Place your order here, and we’d be happy to ship to you.
Go Set a Watchman (hardcover book)
Go Set a Watchman CD (audio recording — perfect for summer road trips!)
To Kill a Mockingbird (paperback)
The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee (paperback)
Musing 
