It’s interesting that in a time of vast technological expansion, the good old radio remains a societal constant. There is something comforting about tuning in to your favorite frequency and letting the familiar voices carry you into a pure audio experience. The radio feels like home. And Radio Garden’s cutting-edge technology provides sonic connection in a time of social distancing. The Web site displays a spinning globe marked with thousands of stations. Wish you could be in Milan? Zero in on its location and listen to Radio 105. Want to know what’s happening in Nigeria’s capital? Go to Abuja’s green dots. In times of crisis, and during long days of lockdown, hear what people all around the world have to say. (radio.garden) —Elena Clavarino

For the lucky few with a stable job and no kids, life under lockdown can mean time to finally cook or take up a new hobby. For many others it’s a never-ending grind that leaves any literary hopes on the back burner. This podcast, hosted by mother of four Zibby Owens, makes contemporary books accessible, and features interviews with authors such as Adrienne Miller (In the Land of Men), Fanny Singer (Always Home), and Stephanie Danler (Sweetbitter and Stray). It can be listened to while doing virtually anything, which parents, many of whom are now working two full-time jobs, particularly appreciate, but you don’t have to be a mom to tune in—Owens’s witty and engaging conversations will appeal to all book-lovers. (zibbyowens.podbean.com) —Julia Vitale

In-the-know Londoners looking for a bit of a mood lift are relying on Scarlet & Violet more than ever. Vic Brotherson’s floral shop in Kensal Rise, which she runs with help from her sisters, Emma and Charlotte, specializes in artfully assembled branches and blooms culled in the pre-dawn hours from the flower market each day. They eschew standard arrangements in favor of a more organic approach using English-garden blossoms and wildflowers, and the splendid results explain the florist’s success. While the shop is bereft of its usual hum and buzz, it continues to deliver throughout central London. (scarletandviolet.com) —Ashley Baker

The world’s most famous consulting detective has not been well served on-screen. True, the Sherlock series with Benedict Cumberbatch was modern fun, and Billy Wilder’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes an under-appreciated gem, but for purists there’s no improving on Granada Television’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett. Brett’s Holmes is neurotic, difficult, brilliant—much as Conan Doyle wrote him. This excellent series ran from 1984 to 1994, covered most of the stories, and ended only with Brett’s untimely death. Nothing is as good as reading the canon, but for viewers this is as close as you’ll get. (amazon.com) —George Kalogerakis