My favorite quilt book is one I check out of the local library on occasion by Jinny Beyer on color theory(can't remember the name). I think I really learned a lot from that book and now always plan a "deep, dark" in the color scheme of my quilts. For patterns, I like the magazines--I take several (rotate when the subscription expires) and copy the quilts that "speak" to me when I first get the magazine--then pass it along to someone else.