I HAVE a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
— Robert Louis Stevenson

I grew up in a Seuss-free household, but that didn’t mean growing up without rhyme. Rhyme engages your brain, it’s sing-songy, and innocent, and makes words into a game. I love rhyme. But I’ve never been fond of Dr. Seuss, I think because by the time I was introduced to him, I was already beyond that level of reading.

Instead, I grew up with a collection of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Better known for his novel Treasure Island, and more British than British can be in tone, his poems made me feel like I really was flying in a swing, or playing with toy soldiers on the bed, or, in this case, reciting an ode to my shadow.

In any case some of my fondest memories involve reciting Stevenson’s work with my grandmother, laughing if we made mistakes, and feeling smug and somehow accomplished if we did not.

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

I hadn’t intended to make my first Blogathon post from the bathroom, but when Nature calls it’s not always at the most opportune moments. And yet, it’s oddly appropriate. I mean, I come from a family of bathroom readers. In the tub, on the pot – location wasn’t relevant so long as there was something to read.

One of my most frequent childhood memories is of someone shouting, “Put the book down, I need to go, TOO,” and really, I think this is why I live in a house with 2.5 bathrooms – one for me, one for Fuzzy, and one for guests – the latter doesn’t come stocked with reading material, though.

So, here I sit. I dragged in a snack tray, which required the moving of a stack of mostly-finished novels, and the frightening away of two small dogs. I’ve got a loose theme in mind for the next 48 posts – 48 because it’s one per half hour PLUS a final on-the-hour post. People always forget that last one – I’ll be talking a lot about books I’ve read, how they impacted me, what my perennial favorites are. I’ve been a book geek for as long as I can remember, after all.

Of course, my theme ties in nicely with my chosen charity First Book.

And so, we begin, with me reminding all of you to please sponsor me, and inviting you to take my reading survey (it’s linked in the sidebar here at MissMeliss.com).

Thank you, and happy reading.

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