Episode 546 || Into the Backlist: And the Sea Will Tell
This week on From the Front Porch, it’s a new episode of Into the Backlist! Today, Annie changes her focus from new releases to dive into the backlist: the books that came out years ago, the books that didn’t get enough attention, the books you may stumble upon while browsing in an indie bookstore like The Bookshelf.
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 546) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi
Annie would put this on the shelf with:
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst
Sea Wife by Amity Gaige
Defending Jacob by William Landay
The Wager by David Grann
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Island of the Lost by Joan Druett
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
The Net Beneath Us by Carol Dunbar
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathan Philbrick
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi
Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton
Jaws by Peter Benchley
Thank you to this week’s sponsor, Discover Thomasville. Gracefully tucked within the storied Red Hills of South Georgia, Thomasville curates a distinguished Downtown experience that meanders along several blocks of our iconic red brick streets. Here, bespoke boutiques, master craftsmen, coveted antique art purveyors, and celebrated culinary artisans converge in harmony with the cultural richness of the Pebble Hill Plantation art tour and the tranquil allure of Birdsong Nature Center. Here, you Discover the Soul of the South. Here, you Discover Thomasville. Learn more by visiting thomasvillega.com/news.
From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.
A full transcript of today’s episode can be found below.
Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.
This week, Annie is reading Little Movements by Lauren Morrow.
If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.
We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.
Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.
Transcript:
[squeaky porch swing] Welcome to From the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. [music plays out]
“A murder trial is not a Sunday afternoon tea party.” ― Vincent Bugliosi, And the Sea Will Tell
[as music fades out] I’m Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week, we’re back with an installment of our podcast series Into the Backlist. If you’re a new or newish listener, you might not realize that From the Front Porch is a production of The Bookshelf, a small, independently-owned bookstore in rural South Georgia. By listening to our show and recommending it to your friends, you’re helping to keep our indie bookstore in business, and if you like what you hear, one way you can financially support us is through Patreon. This year we've been conquering the classic Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. For $5 a month, you can access those monthly recaps, as well as our Porch Visits, monthly live Q&As where we talk about everything from pop culture to nail polish to what books you should take on your next vacation.
[00:01:28] We're also-- and it's hard to believe I'm saying this, but we're also gearing up to announce our 2026 Conquer a Classic selection, and the first people who will know about it are our Patreon supporters. So to learn more about Patreon tiers and benefits, you can visit patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. There's also a link in your show notes. I'd love for you to join us there. Now, back to the show. We launched the podcast series Into the Backlist last January, so January, 2024, after I'd been thinking about the magic of indie bookstores and how we try to replicate that in-store magic for you, our long-distance customer. One of the most magical things to me about shopping at an indie bookstore is the serendipitous nature of it. How you might stumble upon a book you've never seen before and be inspired to read it or buy it because of an in-store recommendation or maybe simply because the book begs to be read from the shelf.
[00:02:25] Now, don't get me wrong, I still get that serendipitous feeling from new titles all the time, but it seems to especially come from the unsung book, the book that's been out for a while or the book that only that particular store seems to know about. I feel like I could name for you the books I've discovered this way. I think about Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs, which is one of my favorite books. It's a book that helped inspire my own book. And I picked that one off of a stack at Sun Dog Books in Seaside, Florida. There are so many books that I have discovered because an indie bookstore has highlighted them, and I would never have found out about them, not through the New York Times Book Review, not through Bookstagram, only because of an independent bookseller at an independent bookstore. So now on our show, every so often, I dig through the imaginary Bookshelf vault, and I try to highlight backlist titles I think are special. Books we keep on our shelves at the store, even though they were published years ago. Books we secretly hope a customer stumbles upon, then asks us about and maybe eventually takes home for themselves.
[00:03:29] For past Into the Backlist episodes, I've discussed Francis and Bernard, The Ensemble, (Asia Gable has a new book coming out this fall, by the way) The Mothers, Defending Jacob, and History of Wolves. Which if you listened to the episode about the History of Wolves back in January, that's episode 513-- I linked all of these in the show notes. Caroline did for us. If you listened to History of Wolves and if you went and read that book, I do want you to know that the new book by Joyce Carol Oates called Fox is a great read-along or a great sibling to History of Wolves. So if you liked episode 513, you liked that book, you went and read that book, I think you might really enjoy or appreciate Joyce Carol Oates' Fox that came out earlier this year.
[00:04:16] Today, as I come back from maternity leave and I'm batch recording podcast episodes and I saw that Into the Backlist was on the schedule, I had every intention of doing an autumnal book, like some books that would maybe speak to the season that we are kind of in. I mean, it's always hard as a Southerner to say that we're in the fall because we're really not. It takes us a minute here to get the fall. But I really did contemplate doing something like The Old Lovegood Girls, or something that reminds me of fall. But then this summer I had the most wonderful time reading backlist books. I don't, as a bookseller, get to read a ton of backlist titles. My job is dependent upon reading new releases, previewing titles, reading books that aren't yet out so that I can tell you about them, so that can sell them in my store. That's like one of the primary functions of my role as a bookseller and a curator in our store. So backlist titles are something that in a pre-Bookshelf life, I would have read all the time. Almost always I would've read a backlist title. It's one of the reasons I loved libraries in my life pre-Bookshelf. I still love libraries, but I spend most of my time in a bookstore reading and shelving and showcasing new works of literature.
[00:05:39] So this summer, when I wasn't spending time in the Bookshelf, I was going to the library and I was reading Elin Hilderbrand and just exploring my own backlist on my shelves, like books that I had bought but hadn't read yet. One of those books was And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi. You might recognize him-- I did not, but you might recognize as the author of the true crime classic, Helter Skelter, which is about the Manson murders. That book has leaped to the top of my TBR list, though I have not read it yet. So it feels to me like the world is drowning in Substack newsletters, which is a risky thing to say as somebody who writes on the internet. I understand the point and purpose of Substack, but I get really overwhelmed because it just feels like there is an abundance of riches and I cannot keep up. So I'm not trying to add more newsletter to your plate, but I will tell you that one of the newsletters I pay to support and I actually read is Shauna Niequist Reading and Eating. I have been a fan of Shauna's since my early 20s, when I encountered her books, Bitter Sweet and Cold Tangerines. Those books I think would actually be great backlist titles to feature here. I love those books. They made a huge difference in my life.
[00:06:49] She feels like a cooler, wiser, older sister, and her writing is honestly still the goal. Like that is still what I would often like my writing to look like. She also has a taste in books similar to my own when we talk about book whisperers. Hunter is one of my book whisperer. Shauna is one of my book whisperers. She doesn't know that. I mean, she does not. She does not know I exist. She does know who I am. But we do have really similar overlapping tastes. Like our Venn diagrams definitely overlap when it comes to what we read. And so when she recommends something, I tend to pay attention. And many times I've already read what she's recommended. Like we are on the same wavelength, but every so often I see one and I make a note to pick it up. So at the beginning of this summer, when I was still very, very pregnant, trying to decide what I was going to attempt to read postpartum, I read Shauna's newsletter about all things fishermen's summer. So I'm going to link to that one in the show notes.
[00:07:45] She took the latest trend. So think of last year's coastal grandma. Was that a year ago? Are we still doing that? Earlier this summer, it felt like fishermen's stuff was everywhere. Fisherman's sweaters, which we can't wear here until January. But kind of this main esthetic, lobsters. I feel like a lot of people I know bought lobster stuff. So, anyway, she devoted a whole post to all things Fisherman's Summer and she linked clothes, jewelry, books, recipes. And I'd heard of most of the books, but my eye immediately was drawn to the one I hadn't heard of. So Shauna wrote, "And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi is an absolute classic. Bugliosi wrote Helter Skelter, so you can imagine it's got all the creepy, suspenseful vibes in a very good way." So that's like her little pitch. That was her two sentence recommendation. I immediately ordered myself a copy and then I was shocked because that was literally all the research I did. It was a book I had not read. She described it as creepy suspenseful vibes in a good way. Okay, great. That's what I'm looking for.
[00:08:49] And then when it got to my house: 752 pages. Isaac my son was due any day. I feel like I was on, I don't even know what the weeks were anymore, but it was the end of May. And it was like I am not going to have time to read this 752 page book. It felt like such a dumb thing to have done; to have bought this book on a whim. And then it arrived and clocked in at nearly 800 pages. So it felt like one of those books that you might start but never finish. It would hold my attention for a few days, but then I would just inevitably forget about it. Instead, and this is just so delightful to me, the book became my companion while I waited for Isaac to arrive. He came a little late-- not too late, but a little bit late. And so I definitely was waiting longer than I thought I would be. And so, I carried this book everywhere. It went in my bag to every doctor's appointment. The doctor's appointments where you think surely I'm going to be admitted to the hospital after this appointment. Just kidding, no, I'm back in my car. So it went with me everywhere. It really did become my companion.
[00:09:55] It felt like one of those salt-sprayed books you find on the shelf of a musty beach house or lake house. And by the end of May, my copy had accompanied me on many a dip in the pool. So it looked as water-logged as I felt so many months pregnant. Instead of devouring it, which was kind of impossible since it's such a long book, I wound up savoring it. And I would return to it chapter by chapter when I was bored or exhausted or overwhelmed, or it was too hot to do anything else. And I wound up loving the book and the experience of reading it, which that doesn't always happen. Maybe I like the book, but my reading experience isn't great because I'm in a hurry or I'm listening to it in the car and I'm pausing and picking it back up. But this was a situation where I was already technically on maternity leave. I really did think a baby was coming any day and then he didn't. And so instead I I read. It's probably the closest to a summer vacation I've had in a long time. You might disagree. You might be like, Annie, you went to the Olympics last year. Yes, yes, I know. But I mean like a staycation, I guess, just staying at home, not doing too much. I wasn't doing too because I couldn't. And so instead I read this book.
[00:11:07] And now And the Sea Will Tell sits on my bookshelves and it's going to be kind of a time capsule, I think, of a pre-Isaac existence. So let me tell you a little bit about the book itself. Back in 1974, Buck Walker and his girlfriend Stephanie, (she's called Jennifer in the book) they leave Hawaii and they set out on a journey across the Pacific, landing on what they hope and what they've heard is the uninhabited island called Palmyra. Both Buck and Jennifer are free spirits and Buck is in a bit of trouble with the law. So they fully intend to go sailing and live off the grid on Palmyra. They have every intention of not just sailing around the world but sailing specifically to this island in the South Pacific and staying there. But when they arrive, they are disappointed because they discover the island is actually home to several other visitors including wealthy and experienced sailors Mack and Muff Graham. By the end of 1974, Mack and Muff are missing from Palmyra and the Pacific, presumed dead. And Buck and Jennifer are the last witnesses to their lives. Almost a decade later, in 1981, another couple is vacationing on Palmyra when they find skeletal remains on the shore. The bones belong to Muff Graham, and soon Buck is charged with her murder, and eventually Jennifer is too.
[00:12:39] This book is the second work of true crime by Bugliosi. He served as a prosecutor in the Manson murders. So I think this is absolutely fascinating. So he served as prosecutor then wrote that book. But by the time and the Sea Will Tell came out, he served as defense attorney for Jennifer. So this is a guy that's worked on both sides of the aisle, which I find fascinating. And much like an episode of Law and Order, the first half of And the Sea Will Tell is focused on the crime itself. And to me, and you're going to hear from critics in a second, this is the best part of the book. It was almost unputdownable. I said that it was a book that was a companion. It wasn't necessarily something I felt like I could binge, but I was very invested in the survival adventure story of these two very different couples. Even just the idea of like the sailing culture is fascinating to me. Earlier this year I read Marriage at Sea, which I know some of you-- I forget who it was, somebody posted on Instagram they hated that book and told me why they hated it. I loved that book and I stand by my love of it. If you hated that book, you will also hate this book is what I will say because they're similar in structure.
[00:13:50] But I'm fascinated by these people who dump everything they have, sell everything they and maybe build or buy a boat and then either have every intention of sailing across the sea. Or the idea of sailing to a remote island and just living there indefinitely, absolutely bonkers. So I'm super intrigued by what kinds of personalities are drawn to that type of life. And so I was very invested in the first half of this book where it's really an adventure story and it's these two very different couples. You have Jennifer and Buck who are kind of hippies, I guess, smoke a lot of pot, kind of wants to live off the grid because Buck's in a little bit of trouble. Yeah, so that's one couple and they're kind of early in their relationship. And then Muff and Mack have been married a long time. He, I believe, was like former military and he definitely gives off like much more professional sailor vibes. Their boat is much nicer than Mack and Muff's boat. And so you start to, as the reader, immediately know something's going to go down here. Like, there's a tension here. There's some kind of heat that's going to boil over. You just don't know how or when. And so I loved the first half of this book.
[00:15:10] And then the second half of the book, again, think of an episode of Law and Order, becomes a detailed account of the courtroom dramas that followed. You can tell that this is Bugliosi's extensive legal expertise. He's very proud to be an attorney. And so you can tell that he's bringing that legal expertise to this book, because so detailed, so detail. I worked briefly in the legal field, legal adjacent field, legal writing field. And there's a lot of minutiae in the back half of this book where I felt a little bit bogged down. That being said, I never stopped reading. And maybe partly it was stubbornness. Like once you reach the halfway point in a 752 page book, I think you just keep going. But I also think I was intrigued. Now, we'll discuss in a few minutes again what critics say, but there may have been an editor probably could have chopped this up a little bit, but I really liked it. And I was intrigued by the courtroom drama of it all as well. So I could not believe I hadn't heard of this case before. This definitely feels like something there should be a Netflix miniseries about. And, again, particularly because I had just read, I think back in April or May, Sophie Elmhirst's A Marriage at Sea. And that book was also a true story about a couple who goes sailing across the world before encountering danger. This just felt like a bookish serendipity.
[00:16:34] So this is a murder mystery, a survivor story with a captivating setting, and it's a courtroom drama, all wrapped up into one. If you are typically drawn to multi-part true crime documentaries or TV shows like Alone, I think you will probably appreciate this one just like I did. And this isn't a book I've seen a lot of places. Shauna Niequist is the only person I'd ever heard talking about it. And so I thought that was pretty fun to feel like I had stumbled upon a hidden gem. This book has never gone out of print. It was published in 1991. In fact, let's get started on the stats. This is what we do on these episodes. So this book was originally published in January, 1991. So this is deep into the backlist. We don't often go this deep into backlist. It was reprinted in 2006 and it is still in print today. Somehow, and I do have questions, the original hardback was 574 pages. Now it is 752 pages. It's distributed by Norton. I loved it because if I were to show Hunter my copy of this book, he would absolutely appalled. My book is a banged up mess. And so I am very glad that I got to read this in paperback format, but that hardback would have felt a little shorter. Would have felt little shorter.
[00:17:47] So I mentioned critics consensus. I had to do a little bit more research for this episode because this was so deep into the backlist, but I was able to find two reviews, one in Publishers Weekly and one in the New York Times. And they kind of feel the same way I did, which is Publishers Weekly wrote "Writing with Hinderson, Bugliosi, who served as Jennifer's attorney, offers a case history which could have been a true crime classic, if not for the 250 tedious pages devoted to his client's 23-day trial." Yeah, that's true. That's accurate. I kept reading. It did not bother me. And, listen, there are no book police here. You can scam if you want. I think the first half is worth it, which I think another reviewer may have said. Let's see. Okay, so the New York Times wrote "The circumstances of the crime are intriguing. And Mr. Bugliosi and his co-author, Bruce Henderson, the author of Empire of Deceit, milked the situation. If this were fiction, the story would zoom right off the plausibility meter." But it's not, they can't help that. Anyway.
[00:18:52] "While insisting on absolute truth in the courtroom, however, Mr. Bugliosi seems less than open with the reader. When did he decide to write this book? He says that the defense money was almost gone before he signed on, so how was he reimbursed during the four years he worked on the case? "I don't think any lawyer in the country works any harder preparing his case than I do," he says. Maybe, but as an author, he needed to work a lot harder on this one. A little modesty wouldn't have hurt either." Well, bam, that's tough. That's pretty brutal. I could not find the author of that review. It's not my favorite review because I think it's kind of weird and maybe it's just a journalist kind of being a stickler for the ethics of it all. But when did he decide to write the book? I don't know. I mean, it was published in 1991. I thought she went to trial in the 80s. He does change her name. She's Stephanie in real life and then Jennifer Jenkins in the book, which I did not realize until I was doing some research. I will say there's a chapter or two that are almost word for word his closing argument, which unnecessary, just very unnecessary. But I think he wanted you to see how he argued the case.
[00:20:01] There also, if I'm not mistaken in doing the research, I discovered that the prosecutor in the case sued, I want to say, for libel or what have you because of how Bugliosi portrayed him in the book. And he lost that, but it reminds me of some legal stuff I've seen happening in the news lately, just about what do storytellers have the right to say? So I also thought that was interesting just from an ethics standpoint. But the book has 3.96 stars on Goodreads with 8,500 ratings and 500 plus reviews. So maybe it's not as unsung as I think it is. It also made it to the New York Times bestseller list in 1991. My one sentence hand-sell, and the sea will tell is part true crime, part courtroom drama, part South Pacific survival tale. It's not a quick read, but it is a hunker down one. Okay, this is always my favorite part. I would put this on the shelf with-- I already pictured the end cap that I would create. So I would this on shelf with obviously A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst, Sea Wife by Amity Gage, Defending Jacob by William Landay because of the defense attorney element. The Wager by David Grant. The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Weiss. Island of the Blue Dolphins. Do y'all remember that book? I don't know. I have not reread that one literally since childhood. So I don't know if holds up. So before I put it on the shelf, I would probably need to do some reading. But I definitely was taken back to that book while reading this one.
[00:21:31] So Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Island of the Lost by Joan Druett, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy, The Net Beneath Us by Carol Dunbar. That book pops up all the time when I'm doing these episodes. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathan Philbrick, perhaps obviously, Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton. And Jaws by Peter Benchley, because I do think this is such a great summer book, which is why I was hesitant to bring it to your attention in the fall. But here's what you can do. You can order it now and just save it. Save it for your summer TBR next year. I have two favorite quotes that I really liked. One is, "And I believe the truth is mighty and shines by its own light." And then one he's actually quoting, I think it's a Latin phrase, but he quotes the English translation of it. "A woman does not reveal her guilt as easily as a man." I do not want to spoil things for you. This is real, this is non-fiction, this true crime. So it seems silly to suggest that I could spoil it for you, but I don't want to tell you what happens in this case. But that quote is fascinating.
[00:22:43] And if you have read this book and you want to come into the DMs or send me an email, I would love to know your thoughts about the case itself. Who would I recommend this book for? I would read this if your favorite reads are musty beach paperbacks meant to be read in a cozy, overstuffed chair. If old-school John Grisham is your jam, I think this one will fit the bill. This is a dad book. Y'all, this is a dad book and maybe I'm a dad. I just ate it up. TV adaptation? Yes, in fact, a four-part mini-series that released in 1991, which apparently you can watch on YouTube. And I perhaps will be doing that now, because I did not realize it until I was doing research for this episode. So I may in fact stream on YouTube the probably pretty shoddy recording of a four-part miniseries from 1991. Listen, over the summer I did a lot of documentaries watching not necessarily good documentaries, just things on Netflix, things that I could watch kind of mindlessly in the early morning hours. And, boy, I really wanted this to be one. I really thought, oh my gosh, this could be such a great documentary series because there are twists and turns.
[00:23:52] I know the New York Times Review said that it felt like it strained at probability or strained reality, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And this one went in all sorts of ways and twists and turns. So I would recommend this one. I really liked it. I also know that the first half is pretty universally admired as a true crime classic. The back half or the back third is a little slower, but I read the whole thing. I read the whole thing and had a great time with it, and maybe you will too.
[00:24:22] This week, what I am reading is brought to you by Discover Thomasville. Gracefully tucked within the storied red hills of South Georgia, Thomasville curates a distinguished downtown experience that meanders along several blocks of our iconic red brick streets. Here, you discover the soul of the South. Here, you discover Thomasville. Learn more by visiting thomasvillega.com forward/news.
[00:24:49] I mentioned in the last ad read how much I loved exploring Birdsong Nature Center with our son Isaac. And there really are so many things to do in Thomasville, even beyond the brick streets where I spend a lot of my days. One of the things I absolutely love about our town is Thomasville Center for the Arts. They host the Thomasville Entertainment Foundation's monthly offerings. I've mentioned the Thomasville Entertainment Foundation many times on this show. It is one of the highlights to me of living in Thomasville, all these beautiful musical performances that really you would get in a much larger city, but we get them here in Thomasville, which means a pretty intimate setting. And it's in this beautiful historic building.
[00:25:29] If you've ever attended a One Book event or a Sean of the South event, you have been to the Center for the Arts. It's right down the street from my home. I love visiting there for various performing arts events. They also do second Saturdays where they do a ton of kids programming. They're just a vibrant and crucial part of life here in Thomasville. And so if you're looking for something to do, maybe beyond the shopping and dining that we talk about all the time, you should explore the Thomasville Center for the Arts.
[00:25:55] This week, I'm reading Little Movements by Lauren Morrow.
[00:25:59] Thank you again to our sponsor, Discover Thomasville. Here, you discover the soul of the South. Here, you discover Thomasville. Learn more by visiting thomasvillega.com/news.
[00:26:00] Annie Jones: From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website:
A full transcript of today’s episode can be found at:
Special thanks to Studio D Podcast Production for production of From the Front Porch and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.
Our Executive Producers of today’s episode are…
Cammy Tidwell, Linda Lee Drozt, Martha, Stephanie Dean, Ashley Ferrell, Gene Queens, Beth, Jammie Treadwell…
Executive Producers (Read Their Own Names): Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins
Annie Jones: If you’d like to support From the Front Porch, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your input helps us make the show even better and reach new listeners. All you have to do is open up the Podcast App on your phone, look for From the Front Porch, scroll down until you see ‘Write a Review’ and tell us what you think. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us over on Patreon, where we have 3 levels of support - Front Porch Friends, Book Club Companions, and Bookshelf Benefactors. Each level has an amazing number of benefits like bonus content, access to live events, discounts, and giveaways. Just go to:
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