Monthly Reads: Feb 2024

While the world was enveloped in the romantic aura of the Valentine's month, I found myself immersed in the books penned by Khaled Hosseini, books that a friend had long recommended. I brought a set of his three most renowned books and I embarked on a journey through stories that transport readers into the sinister realms of human conflicts.

Among the three painful states that have plagued humanity since time immemorial - Plague, Famine, and War - War, in my view, stands as the most devastating, owing to its cruelty.

Wars are often waged for misguided reasons and driven by unconscious decisions, exact the highest toll on innocent civilians. I have read a handful of war stories that narrate the plight of those caught in the crossfire - separated from loved ones, enduring sacrifies, and facing the inhuman atrocities very occasionally recorded in history books.

In Khaled Hosseini's books, the focus lies on the innocent lives caught amidst the chaos of war. Each tale weaves a different thread into the same conflict, his narratives are a emotional effort to portray his country's history - once serene and beautiful, now spoiled by strife.

As I delved deeper, a recurring questions echoed in my mind: Do wars every truly end ?

The Kite Runner

Among the literary gems of the year, “The Kite Runner” stands out as a emotional exploration of friendship, loyalty, and the intricate bond between father and son. The protagonist’s journey, haunted by past misdeeds, culminates in a chance for redemption - a narrative that continues to resonate, evoking nostalgic rush of kite-flying.

Modern Generative AI with ChatGPT and OpenAI Models

Venturing into technical realms, this is my first technical book read of the year that led me into the intricacies of ChatGPT and Large Language Models (LLMs).

While already acquainted with ChatGPT and open source LLMs, this book offered fresh insights into its architecture, alongside illuminating discussions on OpenAI, its collaborations, and a myriad of real-world applications across domains.

Each use case sparked new ideas and heightened my productivity at work, dispelling common misconceptions about LLMs as mere job snatchers and instead highlighting their potential to foster innovation and prompt engineering.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A narrative unlike any other, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” weaves a combination of war, relationships, and raw emotions, delivering an emotionally gripping tale. The intertwining stories of Mariam and Laila unfold against a backdrop of war, scarifice and resilience, culminating in a bittersweet conclusion - contender for this year’s most impactful reads already.

Conclusion

In the final five days of February, I started with author’s third book “And the Mountains Echoed”, a promising take that I am certain to relish. However, as this reading ventured into March month, I will be share my thoughts on it in next month’s segment of the blog. Until then thank for reading, and take care.

P.S: One of my faviourite author Cal Newport’s book “Slow Productivity: The Lost Art Of Accomplishment Without Burnout” released on 7th March 2024, not sure if I would get a paperback / hardcover copy in March. However, look forward to his deep knowledge in this edition.