Staff Picks (List)

An epic, revelatory account of the Battle of Gettysburg, where George Meade, Lincoln's unexpected choice to lead the Union army, defeated Robert E. Lee and changed the course of the Civil War, from the award-winning author of James Monroe: A Life 

By mid-1863, the Civil War, with Northern victories in the West and Southern triumphs in the East, seemed unwinnable for Abraham Lincoln. Robert E. Lee’s bold thrust into Pennsylvania, if successful, could mean Southern independence. In a desperate countermove, Lincoln ordered George Gordon Meade—a man hardly known and hardly known in his own army—to take command of the Army of the Potomac and defeat Lee’s seemingly invincible Army of Northern Virginia. Just three days later, the two great armies collided at a small town called Gettysburg. The epic three-day battle that followed proved to be the turning point in the war, and provided Lincoln the perfect opportunity to give the defining speech of the war—and a challenge to each generation of Americans to live by. 

These men came from different parts of the country and very different upbringings: Robert E. Lee, son of the aristocratic and slaveholding South; George Gordon Meade, raised in the industrious, straitlaced North; and Abraham Lincoln, from the rowdy, untamed West. Lincoln’s election to the presidency in 1860 split the country in two and triggered the Civil War. Lee and Meade found themselves on opposite sides, while Lincoln had the Sisyphean task of reuniting the country. 

With a colorful supporting cast second to none, Three Roads to Gettysburg tells the story of these consequential men, this monumental battle, and the immortal address that has come to define America.

From an award-winning historian and New York Times bestselling author, a gripping, fly-on-the-wall account of the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln's decision to go to war against the Confederacy.



1861: The Lost Peace is the story of President Lincoln's difficult and courageous decision at a time when the country wrestled with deep moral questions of epic proportions. 



Through Jay Winik's singular reporting and storytelling, readers will learn about the extraordinary Washington Peace Conference at the Willard Hotel to avert cataclysmic war. They will observe the irascible and farsighted Senator JJ Crittenden, the tireless moderate seeking a middle way to peace. Lincoln himself called Crittenden "a great man" even as Lincoln jousted with him. Readers will glimpse inside Lincoln's cabinet--the finest in history--which rivaled the executive in its authority, a fact too often forgotten, and witness a parade of statesmen frenetically grasping for peace rather than the spectacle of a young nation slowly choking itself to death. A perfect read for history buffs, with timely overtones to our current political climate.

Follow Lincoln’s day-by-day path from peacemaker to war leader as the Union edges toward Civil War.

The months after the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, between March 4 and May 3, 1861, mark one of the most significant periods in American history. Antagonism between the North and South, which had been intensifying since Lincoln’s election as president in November 1860, only worsened when the president-elect was sworn into office. Lincoln’s Road to War is a day-by-day account unpacking each day’s events, both personal and political, from Lincoln’s inauguration through the attack on Fort Sumter and towards the march to the Battle of Bull Run/Manassas. 

• March 4, 1861: In his inauguration address, President Lincoln did his best to be reconciliatory, advising Southern secessionists that there would be no war unless they were the aggressors. But he also made it clear that the Union was indivisible, and that secession meant anarchy.
• April 12, 1861: During the early morning hours, rebel artillery opened fire on Fort Sumter, situated on a man-made island in the entrance to Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This was immediately followed by President Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers from state militias, along with his order to blockade all Southern ports.

From the first days of his Presidency to a tacit admission of the real probability of war on May 3, 1861, readers follow alongside Lincoln in this daily journal that captures his evolution from an inexperienced, newly installed president trying desperately to avoid a war, to a reluctant commander-in-chief resolved to defend Fort Sumter against rebel aggression, and finally to a war president determined to see the fighting through to the end and to restore the Union. In this revealing and enlightening journey through the progression of Lincoln’s perspectives and politics, readers glean intimate insights into the President, the man, and the country on the precipice of Civil War.

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • As the Civil War looms, a young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister’s ghost in this “poignant story of love, family and friendship [that] celebrates the power of liberation” (People).

“An enrapturing tale of survival . . . Eckstine has poured a ton of heart into her characters.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“The richly textured prose quickly pulled me into [Junie’s] treacherous yet magical world.”—Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake

Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie.

When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act—one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that can no longer be ignored.

With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the harsh current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?

A heartrending novel of courage and resilience inspired by the true story of a female Civil War spy

September 1862. When war ignites, Hattie Logan escapes her privileged family and prim finishing school to join Allen Pinkerton's spy agency, burning to make a difference for the Union. As one of Pinkerton's mailroom girls, she uncovers secrets that could change the course of the war.

Yet Hattie longs to do more. Dispatched as the courier's wife, she ventures behind enemy lines. There, she finds herself falling in love with the man pretending to be her husband. But from the shadows of her past, a secret threatens her plans-and her life.

A sweeping story of bravery and determination, brimming with rich historical detail and unforgettable characters who will tug at your heart. Fans of Lisa Wingate, Martha Hall Kelly, and Kate Quinn will love this novel of intrigue and hope.

"This spellbinding novel transforms history into a powerful story of a woman's courage in the face of adversity." Readers Favorite

"An involving tale about Civil War intrigue, embroidered with rich historical detail." The Bookmonger

"A first-class novel which represents the strength and courage of so many women during that era, those whose moral character and determination to face danger and stand up for a cause matched any man serving on the front lines of the war" The Historical Fiction Company

"Compelling female characters and vivid settings" The Historical Novel Society

"Fans who enjoy historical spy tales, civil war drama, and romantic adventures will find plenty to entice them in this great read!" InD'tale Magazine

Captivating Civil War Fiction Inspired by Historical Events. 
 

"I had no idea what I was in for. I could not put this book down. It (When the Mountains Wept) was so riveting! It was beautiful. It was heart wrenching. It's so perfect."- Redeeming Lit Podcast

Award-winning-author Kendy Pearson "brings to life the Kanawha Valley's explosive Civil War history in this multi-faceted jewel of a tale inspired by true events."-Laura Frantz, Christy Award-winning author of The Rose and the Thistle

"Gifted storyteller Kendy Pearson makes this scene spring to life with her vivid storytelling, every character so expertly sculpted that I found myself missing them when I closed the cover."-Karen Barnett, Award-winning author of When Stone Wings Fly

Western Virginia's Kanawha Valley is a hotbed of rebellion tensions and mixed allegiances.

Amid talk of war, Augusta Dabney tends her younger siblings and dying father. But when hatred sparks tragedy, peace is but a shattered memory. Heartbroken and desperate, Augusta searches for a way to protect all she holds dear.

Defying family and friends, Dr. James Hill declines a prestigious commission in the Confederate Army to join the Union cause as a Regimental Surgeon. When the Dabney farm becomes a crossroads of colliding forces, Major Hill commandeers their barn for a hospital.

He is running from his legacy, seeking penance for his past.

She is desperate to preserve hers, at any cost.

As a wise, former slave nurtures James's battered faith, cynicism crumbles, and James discovers grace and belonging with Augusta and her family unlike any he's ever known, even as he must face the horrors of war and the evil it breeds.

But when James comes face to face with his past, secrets unravel until deception ends in disaster, leaving Augusta with only one option. And it is unthinkable.

The Award-winning series - West Virginia: Born of Rebellion's Storm

When the Mountains WeptWhen Heaven Thunders In Tempest Winds (spring 2025)

"With excellent attention to details of life in the 1860s and historical accuracy, the story brings the reader face to face with the personal struggles of Southerners in an untenable situation. It's not a story to be rushed through, and I highly recommend "living" in this book for a while."-Susan Pope Sloan, Award-winning author of the "Rescued Hearts of the Civil War" series.

"As West Virginia sat perched between the Union and the Confederacy, neighbors were forced to make difficult choices and kinfolk found themselves across from one another in battle ... Augusta and James stole my heart, and I rooted for them from page one until the very end."-Karen Barnett, Award-winning author of the Vintage Park Novels

Acclaimed author Hunter Lesser's captivating book has a fresh and amusing perspective on the Civil War in West Virginia.

The Mountain State might be the "oddest" in America. Although forged as a Union state in the midst of the conflict, her population was bitterly divided. It should be no surprise that her Civil War stories are filled with countless oddities, weird events, and wonder.

Discover 286 quirky and delightful believe-it-or-not Civil War facts about West Virginia, including: 
Brother vs. Sister -- Sleeping with the General -- The Union Army Pledges to Protect Slavery -- Women at War -- The Rich Mountain Ghost -- A Fearless Feline --
"Mudwall" Jackson -- The Battle of Stones and Bats -- Lincoln's Odd Trick

Follow the Civil War in West Virginia from the first shot fired to the last-well after the war was over. It's a great way for beginners to gain an overview of the strange struggle in the Mountain State, along with a refreshing and unique perspective for Civil War buffs and scholars alike.

All this and much more in a book that is long overdue-the strange, sometimes bizarre, but always entertaining story of West Virginia's Civil War oddities.

"This book explores the unique history of West Virginia, the only state born out of the Civil War. Western Virginians faced a dual crisis of allegiance and identity, torn between their historical ties to the secessionist state of Virginia and their loyalty to the Union. The population included a significant number of enslaved people, for whom the conflict's outcome would have major consequences. Many Civil War narratives focus on major battles, but William Kerrigan shifts attention to the civilians of Western Virginia-both free and enslaved-who endured military occupation, raids, and guerrilla warfare. Civilians faced loyalty oaths, arrests, property destruction, and invasions by soldiers and partisans from both sides. Enslaved individuals played an active role, providing intelligence and assistance to Union forces and risking their lives for their freedom. At the same time, political leaders grappled with complex legal and political questions, first rejecting secession from the Union and subsequently pursuing their own secession from Virginia to form the new state of West Virginia. Their challenges included framing a new government, defining the state's borders, addressing the future of slavery, and securing federal recognition. Postwar reconstruction in West Virginia presented its own challenges, distinct from those of other border states, as the return of defeated Confederates threatened the stability of the new state. The book highlights how the experiences of Western Virginia's noncombatants, political leaders, and enslaved people contributed to the region's turbulent transformation during and after the Civil War"-- Provided by publisher.

The New York Times bestselling prequel to the Pulitzer Prize–winning classic The Killer Angels
 
In this brilliantly written epic novel, Jeff Shaara traces the lives, passions, and careers of the great military leaders from the first gathering clouds of the Civil War. Here is Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, a hopelessly by-the-book military instructor and devout Christian who becomes the greatest commander of the Civil War; Winfield Scott Hancock, a captain of quartermasters who quickly establishes himself as one of the finest leaders of the Union army; Joshua Chamberlain, who gives up his promising academic career and goes on to become one of the most heroic soldiers in American history; and Robert E. Lee, never believing until too late that a civil war would ever truly come to pass. Profound in its insights into the minds and hearts of those who fought in the war, Gods and Generals creates a vivid portrait of the soldiers, the battlefields, and the tumultuous times that forever shaped the nation.

A comprehensive account of the state's creation, its citizens, and their contributions to the war effort—whether supporters of the Union or Confederacy. 

The only state born as a result of the Civil War, West Virginia was the most divided state in the nation. About forty thousand of its residents served in the combatant forces about twenty thousand on each side. 

The Mountain State also saw its fair share of battles, skirmishes, raids and guerrilla warfare, with places like Harpers Ferry, Philippi and Rich Mountain becoming household names in 1861. When the Commonwealth of Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861, leaders primarily from the northwestern region of the state began the political process that eventually led to the creation of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. Renowned Civil War historian Mark A. Snell has written the first thorough history of these West Virginians and their civil war in more than fifty years.