Pope Francis celebrated first vespers for the vigil of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday.

At the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Dec. 29 wasn’t too early for a certain kind of New Year’s celebration.

The pope, who turned 88 Dec. 17, mostly uses a wheelchair and presides over rather than concelebrates most public liturgies.

Non-fiction has seen better sales days, but memoirs from Geraldine Brooks and Hannah Kent might help revive the genre – or ...