Reading Your Way to Better Writing

What book should you read that will make you a published author?  Surely someone has written down all the little secrets in a handy volume, right?  I mean, that's how I learned to do some household plumbing.

In earlier blog posts I've stated that the how-to books about writing do have some value.  You can read them to learn or re-learn a few tidbits, but do not expect that reading a book will make you a great writer.  I've stated that I put more stock in critique groups.

Even so, I have read a ...