We've been digging into the terrific literary blog The Millions and found the writer C. Max Magee's entries on World War Two fiction. Why WW2 fiction? "I especially appreciate how the genre can illuminate elements of the conflict," he writes, "that history books cannot, for want of specificity and seriousness." Read his excellent posts here and here.

Yes, yes, we know Labor Day is just a week away. But when we heard these late-August book picks on NPR from the fantastic literary blog The Millions we thought, hmm, they'll help you stretch your summer reading, at least, all the way to winter!

Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow

Pastoralia by George Saunders

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll by Alvaro Mutis

Visual Thesaurus subscriber Julie Trelstad runs a company called Plain White Press that is re-imagining -- and re-inventing -- what it means to publish a book. Does a book's content need to nestle between two covers? Can you sidestep traditional publishers, do it yourself, and still make a splash at Barnes & Noble? We had a fascinating, enlightening conversation with Julie about this brave new book world:  Continue reading...

Heading to, say, India and want to bone up on your Hindi (or your Malayalam, Kannada or Oriya)? These books can help:

How To Learn Any Language by Barry M. Farber

Learning Foreign Languages: Everything You Need To Know by Brandon Simpson

The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast by A. G. Hawke

Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One by Edward Trimnell

The Loom of Language by Frederick Bodmer

Looking to brush up on your writing? Check out these how-to guides to help you write stronger, write more descriptively, even write juicier science fiction:

Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert Mckee

Guy Kawasaki is a legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist who, as one of Apple's original employees, helped market the first McIntosh computer. So what does this computer guy have to do with language? Plenty. In his amazing blog, called How to Change the World, he talks about creativity, communication, marketing -- and yes, computers. There are lessons there for all of us communicators. And some great book recommendations. Here are a few:

The Myths of Innovation

Uncommon Genius: How Great Ideas Are Born

Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation

If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit