Just Read It

So recently I signed up to the subscription service by Libreria London, where you receive a book of their choice delivered to you every month. And last month, I received the rather excellent Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to Sun by Sarah Ladipo Manyika.

Morayo Da Silva is a cosmopolitan Nigerian woman living in San Francisco. Approaching her seventy-fifth birthday, she’s in good health and enjoying her life, taking road trips in her vintage Porsche, doing yoga, and befriending the staff at her local store, as well as anyone else she encounters along her ways. But her first love is that of her books and the beloved characters she discovers through them. Fiercely independent, Morayo faces her biggest test when a fall fractures her hip and she ends up having to recover in a home and rely on others for help.

Switching seamlessly from Morayo’s past and her present, this novella was a delightful read, as more details about Morayo’s eclectic life are revealed and her connections with the various people she meet. It’s a really lovely exploration about ageing without being trite, or preachy but rather focuses on the importance of friendship and support that we all need in our lives, no matter the stage of life. It was also quite inspirational for me personally, as Morayo was the picture of the type of person I would hope to become in my later years. I loved how she generally always tried to see the bright side of things and didn’t let her age or other people’s expectations dictate who she was or the decisions she made.

Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun, is definitely one of my reading highlights of 2018, and if you haven’t already I do recommend it.

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