What do you think?
Rate this book
Sweet Assorted: 118 Takes from a Tin Box
Literary Nonfiction. Half-finished notes, scrawled snippets of conversation, observations made on the run, photographs of people known and unknown, scraps of paper with puzzling sketches on them, receipts, match packs, postcards, and other assorted paraphernalia…have all ended up in a Peek Frean's tin biscuit box.
For nearly forty years, Jim Christy has thrown—willynilly, and with neither rhyme nor reason—such seemingly random items into the box. There has been absolutely no system to it; maybe, the author says, "I thought 'I'll pay more attention to this later' or, perhaps, 'I've got to check that one out some day…give it the attention it deserves.'" Being a restless traveller, investigative journalist and raconteur, many of these items have rich and alluring stories attached to them. The Peek Frean's biscuit box has provided the essential ingredients for a fascinating assortment of highly entertaining anecdotal tales called SWEET ASSORTED.
"Sweet Assorted, the latest book from former Gibsons resident Jim Christy, is like being at a cocktail party with strangers. You might hear something colourful - a shared anecdote, a travel tale or someone expounding on a thought du jour written in haste on a napkin. " —Coast Reporter
"… There was a shine to this eccentric work that I appreciated. Christy is being himself. His tin alternately brings back memories and reveals what he has forgotten. He lays out his successes and his failures and leaves us to form our opinions. I closed the book hoping to meet Jim Christy one day. His curiosity, convictions and thirst for adventure have lasted decades, and they don't seem to be fading with time. I admire that."— Coastal Spectator
"The richest moments in this book come when the objects become metonyms for events and people from Christy's past, points of reference that he augments with assessments, reflections, and even occasional sales-pitches for his current work…the sheer range of experiences and the quirky (and at times famous) figures from Christy's past intrigue and entertain. Simultaneously, Christy's significant temporal distance from the many figures and events raises the crucial question of how factual are these recollections? Christy regularly admits his inability to remember particular details or events surrounding the objects, but at other times is seemingly able to offer decade-old conversations in detail. Thus, the book presents an archive of questionable oft-dissociated anecdotes that blend objects, events, and memories."— Canadian Literature
For nearly forty years, Jim Christy has thrown—willynilly, and with neither rhyme nor reason—such seemingly random items into the box. There has been absolutely no system to it; maybe, the author says, "I thought 'I'll pay more attention to this later' or, perhaps, 'I've got to check that one out some day…give it the attention it deserves.'" Being a restless traveller, investigative journalist and raconteur, many of these items have rich and alluring stories attached to them. The Peek Frean's biscuit box has provided the essential ingredients for a fascinating assortment of highly entertaining anecdotal tales called SWEET ASSORTED.
"Sweet Assorted, the latest book from former Gibsons resident Jim Christy, is like being at a cocktail party with strangers. You might hear something colourful - a shared anecdote, a travel tale or someone expounding on a thought du jour written in haste on a napkin. " —Coast Reporter
"… There was a shine to this eccentric work that I appreciated. Christy is being himself. His tin alternately brings back memories and reveals what he has forgotten. He lays out his successes and his failures and leaves us to form our opinions. I closed the book hoping to meet Jim Christy one day. His curiosity, convictions and thirst for adventure have lasted decades, and they don't seem to be fading with time. I admire that."— Coastal Spectator
"The richest moments in this book come when the objects become metonyms for events and people from Christy's past, points of reference that he augments with assessments, reflections, and even occasional sales-pitches for his current work…the sheer range of experiences and the quirky (and at times famous) figures from Christy's past intrigue and entertain. Simultaneously, Christy's significant temporal distance from the many figures and events raises the crucial question of how factual are these recollections? Christy regularly admits his inability to remember particular details or events surrounding the objects, but at other times is seemingly able to offer decade-old conversations in detail. Thus, the book presents an archive of questionable oft-dissociated anecdotes that blend objects, events, and memories."— Canadian Literature
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2012
1 person want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 13, 2021
A pick and mix of riveting tales
Do you have a receptacle of some kind filled with the flotsam of your life? So many of us hoard things, but then gradually forget about their existence. Jim Christy did just that. For nearly forty years he tossed random items into an old Peek Frean’s biscuit tin that had once contained a cookie collection named Sweet Assorted. After four decades, he opened the abandoned tin to discover anew the ephemera of his life – from postcards, photos, newspaper cuttings and poems, to African coins, a small box of human teeth and a plastic cow with the head of a rooster!
The resulting book ‘Sweet Assorted:121 takes from a tin box’ is an autobiographical pick-and-mix as Jim, in magpie mode, retrieves shining memories from his cookie tin and documents the vagaries of his life and times. ‘It’s a wonderful way to tell stories,’ says Christy, but it is his forensic interest in the minutiae of life that results in an unusual focus on things seemingly mundane.
Jim is a vagabond, world traveller and adventurer who has worked at an extraordinary array of jobs. However, these tales reach beyond his own experiences as he delves into the lives of others, some well-known such as Jack Kerouac, others strangers, who smile at us across the years from flea market photographs. Via the quirky jetsam tossed into the biscuit tin, we meet four decades of saints and sinners – artists, boxers, politicians, lovers… Jim Christy’s stories are riveting. They are indeed Sweet Assorted.
Do you have a receptacle of some kind filled with the flotsam of your life? So many of us hoard things, but then gradually forget about their existence. Jim Christy did just that. For nearly forty years he tossed random items into an old Peek Frean’s biscuit tin that had once contained a cookie collection named Sweet Assorted. After four decades, he opened the abandoned tin to discover anew the ephemera of his life – from postcards, photos, newspaper cuttings and poems, to African coins, a small box of human teeth and a plastic cow with the head of a rooster!
The resulting book ‘Sweet Assorted:121 takes from a tin box’ is an autobiographical pick-and-mix as Jim, in magpie mode, retrieves shining memories from his cookie tin and documents the vagaries of his life and times. ‘It’s a wonderful way to tell stories,’ says Christy, but it is his forensic interest in the minutiae of life that results in an unusual focus on things seemingly mundane.
Jim is a vagabond, world traveller and adventurer who has worked at an extraordinary array of jobs. However, these tales reach beyond his own experiences as he delves into the lives of others, some well-known such as Jack Kerouac, others strangers, who smile at us across the years from flea market photographs. Via the quirky jetsam tossed into the biscuit tin, we meet four decades of saints and sinners – artists, boxers, politicians, lovers… Jim Christy’s stories are riveting. They are indeed Sweet Assorted.
July 11, 2013
Self indulgent, boring drivel. Didn't even finish it. Sounds like men I've met who talk on and on about themselves,only to hear their own voices. It was a good concept, just lousy content. It looked interesting, attractive cover etc, which is why I borrowed it from the library (thank goodness i didnt BUY it!)
January 19, 2014
I loved this book. The idea of a series of short pieces about about random items in a "junk" tin is so touching, and Christy is a terrific writer. Highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews