The Kesler Awards for 2009
Sliding in a bit late for “My Best of 2009″ which will focus on books and tech. I’ve been doing the Kesler Awards, very informally, for the past 18 years. I keep thinking that I ought to come up with a little goodie for each year’s winners. Maybe a small piece of Alaska Native artwork - perhaps an ivory carving….
First up, the books:
Kesler Awards 2009 - Books
2009 was the 50th anniversary of Alaska Statehood. And somewhat on purpose and somewhat serendipitously, two of my top six books were authored by Alaskans and have an Alaskan theme.
Note: The Kesler Book Awards are based on the year I read the book as opposed to the year the book was published. For example, one of last year’s winners was Paradise Lost by John Milton published in 1667.
Fiction
Favorite Book of the Year: Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner.
Over the years, I’ve read a bazillion fiction and non-fiction Alaska books. Most, somehow, miss the mark of what makes Alaska Alaska. But this book absolutely nails the essence of Alaska. It’s a marvelous story set in Bush Alaska. It has tinges of magical realism, but it is also straight up and brutally honest. No sugar coating. The Bush is a harsh place: both environmentally and culturally. This book captures it all. I absolutely loved it.
Best Written Book of the Year: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.
Olive Kitteridge is a very quiet tour de force of writing. Twelve short stories linked together by one common character. Each story is a stand alone gem. Linked together, they become a critical mass of devasting emotion and life. In the twenty plus of years of our bookclub, this book was the catalyst for perhaps our most intense discussion of all.
Best Fiction Book Not Really Categorizable: LogicComix: An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou.
LogiComix is a lush full color graphic novel that tells the story of Bertrand Russell, his pursuit of the logical basis of mathematics, and the story of the explosion of logic and mathematics at the start of the 20th century. All the big guys are there: Wittgenstein, Godel, Von Neuman, and Turing. I will reread this book multiple time. A big time winner.
Just Because I Loved it and had to List it: The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen
What a treat! This book comprised a wonderful quirky coming of age story with a classic road trip (hoboing on a train), maps, navigation, science, the Smithsonian, spectacular drawings and maps, and another touch of magical realism. I adored this book.
Non Fiction
As you can see by my fiction choices, I have a real soft spot for science. As a result, my two non-fiction awards go to:
The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes.
The New York Times agreed with me on this one - it was their number one non-fiction book of the year. A tremendous account of the science and art from the mid-1700s to the early 1800s. If you don’t want to be an astronomer, a poet, or both after reading this book, then your heart isn’t beating. Plus, if you haven’t read Frankenstein, then you need to rush right out and get a copy and read away.
Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places by Bill Streever
Bill Streever is an Anchorage based scientist with a gift for really understanding “cold” and relating that understanding. Another marvelous book that made the NY Times top 100 of 2009. As someone who grew up in Alaska, I both love and respect the cold. To be truly truly cold is an amazing, on the edge of life, experience. Streever’s account of his year long exploration of what it means to be cold, animal and plant adaptation to cold, and the role of cold in the earth’s environment is engrossing, entertaining, and eye opening. Even to an old hand at cold like me.
Kesler Awards 2009 - Tech
Another fabulous year on the tech front. And you’ll notice that two out of three winners are products of one specific company. A company that really gets the total user experience.
Hands Down, The Best Computer I’ve Ever Had: Macbook Pro 13″
Let me just ask, is there a better laptop in existence than the Macbook Pro 13″??? It has an elegant form factor - a sleek titanium unibody with a knock ‘em dead screen. It’s the perfect size for travel - small and light. But still extremely powerful. Fast and rock solid - I never have to reboot it - even when I run a full blown Windows 7 VM on top of Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard). I LOVE this laptop. Love it. Love it. Love it!!!!
Hands Down, The Best Phone I’ve Ever Had: iPhone 3Gs
My iPhone 3Gs is a thing of sleekness and beauty. It is rock solid, fast, and never has to be rebooted. Sound familiar? 
.
I jaibroke and unlocked my phone so that I can run it on the GCI cellular network. And even with that, it is always spot on perfect. And I suppose I could do a whole ‘nuther tech entry just waxing rhapsodic about the App Store.
Hands Down, The Best Toothbrush I’ve Ever Had: Phillips Sonic Care
The Phillips Sonic Care is a toothbrush of sleekness and beauty that is rock solid, never has to be rebooted and makes my teeth very very happy.
I know, how could I include of all things, a toothbrush, on my list? But this toothbrush is phenomenal. My dental hygienist strongly recommended it and so on a whim I decided to get one. Me and my teeth haven’t been the same since. I’m hooked. And I’m not the only one. A few of my co-workers have brought theirs into work and you can hear the toothbrushes humming away after lunch. The whole tooth brushing process has never gripped me with excitement. But now, my teeth jump up and down with joy when it’s tooth brushing time.
Finally, on the Slat Rat, Ski Boy, Tyge, and Echo non-tech, non-book front, it’s been a truly wonderful year. Particularly for Echo since she showed up on Planet Earth in 2009.
Hello. I am 
