Working at a newspaper for several years now as a graphic designer, it is not only my job to make the paper come together but to make the reading experience easier, more understandable and memorable.
At work I was introduced to this book, The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics, the dos and don'ts of presenting date, facts, and figures by Dona Wong.
It is not the most riveting reads, but is a great guide as reference when you get numbers to pull from a story.