A helpful book.
Depending on your literary ability this publication by "grammar girl" may be useful. What I mean by this is that this book is aimed at several different levels of writers and for several writing genres. Tips on writing emails etc may come in handy for the more technically deficient amongst us- I found this quite interesting, tips for letter writng may come in handy for those (most people these days I presume) who never put pen to paper anymore and only really chat by email, text message, or on sites such as "facebook".
This, however, is a problem with the book. It is, perhaps, not quite aimed at anyone in particular. Certainly, it will not realy prove useful for the college student writing a thesis; It will not really be useful for that aspiring author or poet. This book of "quick and dirty tips" does exactly what it says on the cover; it gives TIPS for better writing. So, if you're stuck on how to write something specific such as a good title, or a grammatically correct sentence, buy this book. If you want to write your magnum opus don't bother- you should know most of what this book tells you anyway.
However, it is always good to have something to keep your rubbish sentences and tense swapping in check. I would advise having this book on your shelf above your writing desk for those moments when you wonder if it should be "will" or "shall" or "whom" or "who"; for questions like this it is a quick and easy reference guide. This book is not too preachy and clearly written (for the most part). Obviously, grammar girl knows her stuff. I cannot help but be self conscious about my writing as I pen this review! I bow to her greater knowledge of the english language.
