Joan Didion was capable both of conjuring up the horrors of modern life and of offering solace that there was still a point to it all.

In a year filled with good news and bad, more than a few Catholics stood out in the crowd (for better or for worse).

John Updike, long one of the nation's finest novelists and short story writers, also wrote extensively about the Christian imagination (and once on his misgivings about Santa Claus).

Charles R. Morris, who died on Dec. 13, was a prolific author with a broad range of interests and expertise. He also wrote a two-part history of America Media for our 100th anniversary.

Over the years, the bookworms at America Media have compiled list upon list of books that would make good Christmas gifts. Here is a sample.

A Reflection for the Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Wendell Berry could be described by many labels. More than anything else, he has been a voice of practical reason and concise cultural commentary in his more than 80 books published over six decades.

A Reflection for the Friday of the First Week of Advent: Memorial of St. Francis Xavier

As Dorothy Day's cause for canonization moves forward, her writings continue to offer a prophetic Christian witness to a complacent world.

Mary Gordon is one of America's greatest Catholic writers—just don't ask her why she stayed.