What a powerful and moving story. I found that once I started reading it…I couldn’t put the book down. I actually spent the entire day reading, thereby, neglecting everything else - namely housework and schoolwork!

It hit a chord with me. It made me wonder how my mother’s life was when she and her family left their home (Poland) for Germany after the war. They lived as refugees, using jewelry and other valuables to buy the bare necessities. They had to struggle in a new land to once again have that what they left behind. I ask myself, “Would they have gone back into an occupied country to rescue someone?” I don’t know. That takes a lot of courage (or guilt) to make such a journey.

Throughout the story, I kept asking myself, “Is this possible? Could this really be happening somewhere in our world?” Of course, I have to answer myself with a resounding, “Yes!” Our world is so complicated, different beliefs, cultures and traditions guide different peoples. For some of us, it would be hard to decide whether this story is real or fiction. (When you look in the cataloging in the front of the book, you see that the book is filed under 813.6 - that would make it real - nonfiction, but it also has a lot of fiction headings)! Of course, I searched the Internet to find out if the story is based on actual events or not. You can read an interview with the author, Khaled Hosseini, here.

Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story. It is not easy on the heart, I actually found some parts quite painful. Yet when you read the story, and you hear of events going on in the world today, it is not hard to imagine that events such as the ones in the book could actually have taken place.

February 4, 1988…the night my angel arrived. The world slept as I cuddled her in that dark, quiet, breathless hospital room. In the silence, the soft flutter of snowflakes tapped gently on the window. I rocked methodically in the old, worn rocking chair; my new baby nestled in my arms. Her tiny heartbeat thumped ever so softly in rhythm against mine. Her sweet, warm baby breath brushed my face.

As I sat there, holding the most precious thing in life, it was as though she and I were wrapped in a magical moment in time. I peered out the window into the mist of snowflakes. Could this be real? Is it truly snowing? Am I dreaming? The night was so surreal. I realized that in the morning, the shimmering snowflakes, this moment in time, the magic all around us would be gone. But tonight…tonight, our world, bathed in beauty and wonder belonged to us.

Wow, what a wonderful weekend. (Hmm…is that an alliteration even though it isn’t a tongue-twister?) I mean there are quite a few “wh” sounds in that sentence…
Anyway, back to the wonderful weekend. Tim and I decided on a whim to take a drive to the mountains.

We booked a room at the “Inn of the Mountain Gods” but arrived before the 3:00 pm check-in time. We took the liberty to walk along the lake, toss pennies in the fountain, and hang out on the back patios while we waited to check in. Well, at 3:10, we still couldn’t check in…housekeeping wasn’t finished cleaning the rooms. What to do? Head to downtown Ruidoso.

We spent the early evening strolling up and down Sudderth Street, dipping in and out of all the little shops. My favorite was a pet store, “No Bones About It.” I almost bought a new coffee cup, but decided that the price was just a tad steep! I made up for it in the sweet shop…cookie dough fudge and peanut butter/chocolate covered Rice Krispie Treats. We wound up in a quaint little Italian restaurant, and our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs. Full, tired and wanting to relax, we headed back to the hotel. Finally, we were able to check in.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing, each of us reading (Tim his novel, and I my guided reading books) and drinking tea.