Lit Hub Daily: August 31, 2018

• David Auerbach grapples with the language of humans as well as that of machines. | Lit Hub
• 15 beautiful covers by which to judge books this month. | Lit Hub
• Nuala O’Connor on using 100-year-old cigarette cards to help build a character | Lit Hub
• The Lit Hub staff’s favorite stories from August. | Lit Hub
• King Lear in India, the world’s most infamous fraud, the life and legacy of Arthur Ashe, and more: the 10 best reviewed books of the week. | Book Marks
• As the summer of scam draws to a close, a look back on the many articles about con men, scammers, and impostors to appear on CrimeReads over the past few months. | CrimeReads
• “These, with their heart-wrenching moments and striking imagery, are certain to provoke questions.” On a wave of picture books that seek to teach children about the plight of migrants and refugees. | The New York Times
• Tell your BFF: HBO has released the first trailer for their 8-part adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend. | Vulture
• “In these narrow streets where San Juan used to party, we had built the foundations for an island-wide food relief operation.” Read an excerpt from activist/chef José Andrés’s We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time. | Eater
• Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Katherine Dunn, Lauren Beukes: are these the 50 best horror novels of all time? | Paste
• Sarah Larson calls a new podcast about the literary world’s great god of depression, William Styron, “melancholy yet comforting, like a walk through a gorgeous old cemetery.” | The New Yorker
• Tayari Jones, Ann Patchett, Yaa Gyasi, and 8 other women writers on the books that remind them of fall. | The Lily
• “All petty, no pain.” On Roxane Gay, her list of sworn enemies, and the rise of nemesis Twitter. | HuffPost

Also on Lit Hub: Short fiction by Sherrie Flick • What the Lit Hub staff loved this week • From Patient X