Where to start with Design with Text/Fonts/Typesetting?

I am a technical guy (software developer) and for some inexplicable reason kind of love looking at text or typesetting design (is that even the right phrase?) . I love what graphic designers create, but I hate what I create. I would like to learn how to choose fonts, layout text and develop interesting color pallets. Are there any good books out there (I prefer books) or websites that can teach this type of thing for a complete beginner with little creative ability? Or am I doomed by the lack of intrinsic creativity?

The type of thing I would like to be able to do better is pictured below. I created a routine to generate these headers for a travel blog I am going to create while traveling the world over the next year. Any thoughts on how to improve the banner is greatly appreciated, but I am really looking for resources that will teach me to do better.

Thanks in advance!