ROUTE: Linden, NJ to Romulus, MI: 745 miles (602 loaded + 143 deadhead)
Thursday May 7th, I started my day at 9:00am. The previous day I had requested a personal day to attend two doctor’s appointments and a book event in the evening. I bumped into a golf buddy at one of the doctor’s appointment. I had an early dinner at a friend’s Italian restaurant, La Manda. Surprisingly, it’s hard to find decent Italian food on the road. After the pre-trip check of the truck and fueling I headed out to the shipper. The deadhead was listed at 143 miles but I had already traveled 60 miles from the previous consignee to the truck stop where I took time off. However the remaining 80 miles required crossing the George Washington Bridge Westbound and the traffic is always brutal. That short distance took me three hours to converse. I arrived at the shipper at 1:00pm and left at 3:30pm. From there I drove seven-and-half hours and took my break at midnight.
Friday May 8th, I started my day at 10:30am and left the truck stop at 11:00am after the pre-trip inspection. I drove three-and-half hours to the consignee arriving at 2:30pm.
BOOK REVIEW: The Hanging Tree by Irina Shapiro (2021), HISTORICAL FICTION – RATING (****)
A different type of historical fiction thriller novel by Irina Shapiro. There are two stories running parallel to each other. One in present time and the other 400 years back. In both there are elements of suspense, rivalry, intrigue, twist-and-turns and even romance.
Nicole Rayburn is a historical non-fiction author that is suffering from writer’s block after her boyfriend of seven-years dumped her for another woman days after her mom passed away. She decides to attend a writer’s symposium held in a Tudor mansion in the English countryside for inspiration to start a new novel. Once there she is fascinated by a local legend of a town woman hung on a tree of the property accused of witchcraft. Kyle, a murder mystery author also attending the symposium helps with her research. There are many side characters that keep the narrative interesting with their side plots. There’s also a lot of information on the injustices women were subjected to in the 17th century and life during that time period.
Overall very entertaining with several surprises at the end on both stories.
