Reddit mentions of Advice for a Young Investigator (A Bradford Book)

I would first and foremost recommend a scientific writing guide, of which there are many. Scientific writing requires a very particular style that even senior scientists don't always master. Unfortunately, junior scientists often receive no formal training in this area, instead simply learning 'on-the-job' from their colleagues. Thinking critically about writing is absolutely imperative in science -- you are your papers and your grants. If you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter how well you perform in the lab.

There are also a few excellent career-guide books for young scientists. For example:

Advice to a Young Scientist

Advice for a Young Investigator

Letters to a Young Scientist

I've felt this many times (first year here too) and something that has been a nice source of reassurance has been Ramon y Cajal's book for new graduate students - http://www.amazon.com/Advice-Young-Investigator-Bradford-Books/dp/0262681501 . It was great reading through it in my first quarter and I keep thinking back to his words every time I feel really down - because he says something really simple - if you're here, then you can be here, and all you can do now is keep observing and doing, stuff will eventually happen.