geeky
potus_geeks. Among the eras covered in these wonderful new literary offerings include the second world war, Watergate and the post-Watergate era, and a favorite historical period of mine, the years leading up to the Civil War. 
I am currently reading The Presidents' War: Six American Presidents and the Civil War That Divided Them by Chris DeRose. This was the most anticipated book on my earlier list for me. This author has previously penned such wonderful presidential histories such as Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, The Bill of Rights, and The Election that Saved a Nation (reviewed here) and Congressman Lincoln: The Making of America's Greatest President. I'm less than halfway through The Presidents' War (sorry, I'm a slow reader), but I am loving it so far. It is a treasure trove of wonderful information of what those presidents still alive who preceded Lincoln were doing in the days leading up to, during and after the Civil War, and I am finding it fascinating. I promise to write and post a book review of it in this community when I have finished it, though I suspect that you can already guess what kind of review I will likely give it.
Today I learned about another book which was recently released about the same period, though more specifically the 1850s. The book is entitled Three Blind Mice: The Three Presidents Before Lincoln and the Decade of the 1850s by Darryl Murphy. The three visually-challenged rodents in the title are Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. The author takes a critical look at the presidency of each and attempts some historical forensics to determine if each could have taken steps to avoid the Civil War. The book looks at not only each president's doings, but also places these actions in the context of the world and times that each lived in. I've ordered this book from Amazon (yeah, I'm still a dinosaur who prefers the feel of an environmentally-unfriendly hardcover over an e-book), and plan to read it sometime this summer and post a review of it when I do.
I find the whole subject of whether or not, in hindsight, the Civil War could have been prevented, and if so, what the implications might have been for the continuation of the institution of slavery. For me, it is the most fascinating historical calculus and one calling for the insight of much brighter minds than mine.
If you're looking for some interesting and captivating reading to bring with you to the beach this summer, this is what I'll have under my nose, and perhaps you will too.