I would buy books or magazines that have quilts in them that you want to make, and wait until you want to make that quilt, well, magazines you can't really wait -- they're only for sale for a limited amount of time. You could get a few books on techniques that you want to learn, like paper piecing, piecing curves, different applique techniques, and again, wait until you want to learn that technique. Buy books that make you happy. Try before you buy -- check out quilting books from your local library. I read a ton of books before I bought many, but I still have too many books.