Brian Bethune

Brian Bethune writes about ideas, books and the book trade, and religion, but what really interests him is why people believe what they believe.

Some of the year’s most notable figures came into prominence for reasons far beyond literary merit

Brian Bethune on ’And Yet,’ a new collection that reminds us of all that was lost four years ago

The hottest titles in both fiction and non-fiction

How the god of desert nomads became the God of half of humanity

Marius Kociejowski’s writing captures his subjects indelibly

Historian Robert Bothwell on trade, Keystone and our sometimes vexed relationship

The hottest titles in both fiction and non-fiction

We profile the authors of the books shortlisted by the Scotiabank Giller Prize this year. Here, Heather O’Neill on writerly vulnerability

Anna Frebel’s research tells us much about the beginnings of the universe

In the art world, asking “What is a museum for?” is like asking, “What is money for?” at a Wall Street dinner, says philosopher Alain de Botton