In the Christmas past category, Browning Walker picks A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas, The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig and A Christmas Bride and Christmas Beau by Mary Balogh.

Titles by bestselling contemporary authors top the Christmas present category. These include Susan Wiggs’ Lakeshore Christmas, Robyn Carr’s Bring Me Home for Christmas, Hers for the Holidays by Samantha Hunter and Angels at the Table by Deb Macomber.

And for Christmases yet to come, there’s JD Robb’s futuristic drama Holiday in Death, which takes place more than 40 years in the future and revolves around a serial killer who uses Christmas imagery in association with his crimes.

Scholastic has released its forecast of the top 10 trends in children’s books for 2013.

They include the “timely topic” of bullying, biographies and Civil War anniversary books.

Survival stories in nonfiction could also be hot.

In fiction, the Scholastic editors expect to see more strong girl protagonists, novels in cartoon form, and science fiction.

The year’s big movie tie-ins include Ender’s Game, from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures, Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, and the upcoming Percy Jackson adaptation, Sea of Monsters.

Booklist, the book review magazine published by The American Library Association, has selected its top 10 romance fiction titles for 2012.

The New York Times calls the magazine “an acquisitions bible for public and school librarians nationwide.” Its network of editors and  reviewers reviews thousands of books each year, mostly before publication.

In explaining her selections, Booklist’s Donna Seaman writes, “Wit and fortitude distinguish the smart women protagonists in the best romances of the last 12 months as authors ingeniously spin new gold out of classic themes…”

Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate

Forever and a Day by Delilah Marvelle

The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

A Lady Never Lies by Juliana Gray

The Lord of Illusion by Kathryne Kennedy

The Night Is Mine by M. L. Buchman

Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas