Whether you're sunbathing at the beach, lounging at the lake or reflecting on rainbows this summer, dive into one of these new books about language.

Speaking of rainbows, Kory Stamper's lively book about the nearly impossible task of naming colors, "True Color — The Strange and Spectacular Quest to Define Color" (Knopf, $32) might have been titled "Hue and Cry." Why, she asks, do we use "coral" to denote a pink color when actual coral grows in many colors? And why did the ancient Greeks, surrounded by the azure Aegean, have no word for "blue"?

Valerie Fridland deftly blends scholarship and humor to explore the evolution and significance of regional pronunciations in "Why We Talk Funny — The Real Story Behind Our Accents" (Viking, $32). Our oral renderings of words, she explains, reveal our geographic backgrounds. When Brits hear "baths," not "bah-ths," and "tunes" not "tyunes," they know a Yank for sure, and we know them when they say "shtring" and "shtreet" for "string" and "street."

As a dance critic at The Washington Post, Sarah Kaufman deployed evocative and dynamic verbs to capture the poetry and power of our most kinetic art form. In "Verb Your Enthusiasm: How to Master the Art of the Verb and Transform Your Writing" (Penguin, $27.83), she shows us how verbs can energize, sharpen and invigorate our prose. Our challenge, she says, "is learning to express action and change, whether bold or quiet."

If you have trouble with punctuation — and who doesn't? — you'll find clear guidance in the new, revised edition of June Casagrande's "The Best Punctuation Book, Period" (Ten Speed Press, $16.99). She addresses everything from apostrophes (it's "1980s," not "1980's") to commas. The phrase "the writer, who did well in college," she notes, describes a specific writer, while "the writer who did well in college" (no commas) describes such writers in general.

And while you're enjoying the outdoors, take time to peruse Ella Frances Sanders' "Words To Love a Planet" (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $24.99). This beautifully illustrated lexicon defines hundreds of words from more than 80 different languages that describe the natural world. "Apricity" (English) means "warmth or light from the sun." "Hanyauku" (from a Bantu language of Namibia) refers to walking across hot sand on your toes. "Friluftsliv" (Norwegian), literally "free-air-life," means "living in harmony with nature."

May your summer be filled with many moments of friluftsliv!

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: Dan Dumitriu at Unsplash