I have a stack of five books beside me right now that I’m using as references while I write an article about using punctuation to tuck extra information into sentences. Each is worth putting on your shelf. (Affiliate links follow.)
The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers. This was our go-to resource when I was a technical editor. It’s a brick that could probably stop a bullet, but it’s got an answer for almost anything.
The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing by Bonnie Trenga. A slim volume, Misplaced Modifier can be read in a single sitting, can teach you more than you’d think possible, and can be referred to for years afterward.
If I Was You…: And Alot More Grammar Mistakes You Might Be Making by Lauren Sussman. This one is new to me, so I haven’t delved as deeply into it as others on this list. One gem that I considered adding to the article I’m writing: “Be careful not to overuse dashes. If you do, they lose their effectiveness, and your writing looks too conversational or amateurish.”
Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner. Also new, but I like what I’ve seen of O’Conner’s approach so far. For example, “Once in a while you may need an aside, a gentle interruption to tuck information into a sentence or between sentences. One way to encluse this information is with parentheses (the end rhymes with breeze), and you just now saw a pair.”
Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students by Mignon Fogarty. I actually just suggested this one to my 11-year-old son, and I would just as readily suggest it to university student journalists that I’ve coached or working writers. Despite being written for students, and maybe because of it, this book is a great resource for anyone who spends time at a keyboard, professionally or not.