Happy Monday, all! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I sure did! We enjoyed the weekend in the Lowcountry, attending the Wounded Warrior events and spending time with friends and family. Stay tuned for a post on the bbq and concert! But, let’s get down to today’s business, shall we? Our newest must read monday: My Health is Better in November: Thirty-five Stories of Hunting and Fishing in the South, by Havilah Babcock (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1947).

Babcock moved to South Carolina from Virginia after a 1927 visit, having fallen in love with the hunting and fishing of our great state. Who can blame the man?! He became an English professor at the University of South Carolina in 1927 (go Gamecocks!), and ultimately became head of the English department before his retirement in 1964. Babcock was an avid outdoorsman with a particular love for quail hunting, and his unique stories are both humorous and educational. He mentions everything from the timeless look of old-fashioned rail fences around the plantations of the south, to the myriad of bird dogs he hunted with over the years. The chapter titles are enough to make you giggle before you even start reading (“Bass are Dumber than People,” and “Just Cover it With Gravy,” just to name a few). He offers both insight to hunting and fishing, as well as witticisms that make you want to keep reading. One particular piece of advice I enjoyed was his reminder to readers that “bird finding, of course, comes before bird shooting.” (p. 92). Touche, sir. Touche.

My Health is Better in November is sure to entertain all. Enjoy!