So far I've been able to find everything technique-related I've wanted either on this amazing board or by googling and you-tubing.
So, I like quilt books that aren't heavy on the how-to, patterns, let alone projects. I love my books because they inspire me and expand my horizons, way beyond where I was thinking before. (Way beyond what I can do yet. Things to aim for, play with.) Here are my current favorites and what I thank them for:
Masters: Art Quilts.
For delicious glimpses of what's out there and what people are making possible with fabric. Waaay beyond patterns, landscapes or blocks.
Paula Nadelstern, Puzzle Quilts; and Kaleidoscopes & Quilts.
For changing my way of looking at fabrics, fussy-cutting and fussy-piecing forever.
For opening my eyes to symmetry and the beauty of kaleidoscopes. (Ann Harwell's quilts are contributing to this in major ways for me, too. No, I can't make complex kaleidoscopes yet like I want to. I'll get there. Just been playing with OBWs on my way, much fun.)
Judy Mathieson, Mariner's Compass Quilts, Setting a New Course; and RaNae Merrill, Amazing Spirals.
For adding to my fascination with non-square-block based designing for quilts.
Connie Smith Siegel, Spirit of Color.
For giving me ways to play with color, and freeing me to seek my own personal sense of harmony with color in fabric. Yep, this one isn't even a quilting book. (I also liked Maria Peagler, Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts. It's great, but given a choice between the two, Spirit of Color is the one I'd keep.)
And of course: Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way.
For freeing my spirit to dare create.