ART

At Peabody Essex, a reset on South Asian art

A new gallery puts the museum's deep collection to dazzling use. 5:29 p.m.

ASK MATTHEW

A reader looks to lasso more upbeat TV shows

Our critic has some ideas for comedies that offer a perfect escape from the real world. 4:59 p.m.

In ‘Land,’ Simon Winchester looks at what the hunger for land ownership has wrought

Few authors of narrative nonfiction have ranged across the global landscape more widely than Winchester. In his latest engrossing voyage, the author turns to the land itself, covering a sizable portion of the 37 billion acres that compose the Earth. 4:35 p.m.

Essays on the magic and poetry of art and place by André Aciman

A slow stroll through entrancing capitals, a tender remembrance of rare old films, a fresh contemplation of Modernist literary giants — this describes the material of André Aciman’s new assortment of essays, but not the magic. 4:33 p.m.

TELEVISION

Inauguration events will be all over TV and the Web

The ceremony is at noon. At 8:30 p.m., there will be a 90-minute TV event called “Celebrating America.” 4:29 p.m.

Paulette Jiles on reading about crime, action, and exploration

Readers first met, if briefly, the itinerant musician Simon Boudin in Jiles’s best-selling and critically acclaimed novel “News of the World.” In “Simon the Fiddler,” Jiles turns the spotlight on Boudin and follows him as he navigates the Civil War and its rocky aftermath in Texas. 4:10 p.m.

MEDIA

How Heather Cox Richardson built a sisterhood of concerned Americans

With her hit newsletter, the Boston College political historian offers something devoted readers desperately crave: context. 4:02 p.m.

THEATER

Theater leaders lean into 2021 with plenty of programming and a measure of optimism

Audio plays, online productions, and outdoor shows are all in the works as Boston theaters come up with creative solutions for a locked-down community. 3:21 p.m.

A new children’s book about Ona Judge, new poetry by Martín Espada, and a biography of iconic Black feminist Dorothy Pitman Hughes

News of a literary bent from around the region. 3:13 p.m.

BOOKS

Finding her way home after an international childhood

In "Aftershocks," author Nadia Owusu chronicles her search for community and a sense of belonging. 3:10 p.m.

HOMEFRONT

HomeFront: ‘One Night in Miami,’ takeout as civic duty, South Asian art galore

All the movies, music, art, and TV you need for a weekend of self-care. 2:38 p.m.

CULTURE

With a new flag, Massachusetts would fly a symbol of ‘slaughter and attempted genocide’ no more

A formal commission will study the state seal at a time of increased awareness about flags and all they represent. 2:31 p.m.

Filmmaking and farces in William Boyd’s ‘Trio’

An alcoholic writer, an American actress, and a sexually questioning producer: these three are the eponymous “Trio” is Boyd’s antic new novel, set in 1968 in the famous British seaside resort that Elfrida describes as “the Las Vegas of England.” The book, which centers on a film shoot, is festooned with offbeat ancillary characters. 2:29 p.m.