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Like Christmas itself, Horizon Review Issue 5 is nearly with us. To celebrate this imminence and whet everyone’s appetites, we’ve asked our contributors to tell us about their three favourite books of 2010. Their choices are wonderful, enticing and even surprising: it’s almost enough to make you buy books! Here are the first set, presented alphabetically; we’ll follow with the rest on Friday. Happy reading!

Robert Archambeau

Reading A Martian Muse (Pittsburgh) by the late Reginald Shepherd makes me miss him anew – it collects his last reflections on poetry. Trigons, this year’s book by John Matthias is my favorite title from Shearsman.  Peter O’Leary’s Luminous Epinoia (Cultural Society) is so beautiful it requires no wrapping paper if given for Christmas.

A.J. Ashworth

My books of the year are short story collections. Simon Van Booy’s debut The Secret Lives of People in Love (reissued in 2010) is moving, poetic and filled with fresh and original imagery. Amy Bloom’s Where the God of Love Hangs Out is earthy and brave. I loved the writing in Laura van den Berg’s debut What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, and how the book drips with poignancy and loss.

Julia Bird

Chris McCabe’s Shad Thames, Broken Wharf (Penned in the Margins): the book of the London Word Festival show. The limited edition boxed book comes with an envelope of mudlarked Thames detritus, given a run under the tap first I hope. Jo Shapcott’s Of Mutability (Faber) – loved it before we made www.youareherepoetryshow.wordpress.com out of it, loved it more afterwards. Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses (Vintage) – a few years old now but I bought it in Paddington WH Smiths this year. Bleak and beautiful.

Alison Brackenbury

I recommend, first, Continue reading Horizon Review: contributors’ books of the year, Part 1