I think it depends on what area of decorating you are most interested in.
For me is has usually been gumpaste flowers so my choice would be any flower book by Alan Dunn
A potpourri Of Flowers by Nicholas Lodge
Romantic wedding cakes by Kerry Vincent for the shoes, and also how to stencil on fondant.
For childrens cakes and figure modeling, any book by Debbie Brown.
I especially like Enchanted cakes for children
I also like one by Lindy Smith called Storybook Cakes.
A subscription to American Cake Decorating magazine might be a good source of ideas for you and they also have featured decorators with step by step instructions. I prefer the British and Australian cake magazines, but the shipping is very expensive. You can occasionally find them in Barnes & Noble, or Borders Books.
What are some good books for beginners?
25+ years ago, I bought just a regular Wilton book and taught myself, using their instructional pages. I've never taken a class in decorating, but it's something I want to try to fit in someday to pick up those skills that I just haven't mastered. You might try a Wilton book to see if you really really like doing this, then, if you find you have the love and the passion, I'd strongly suggest signing up for a Wilton class.
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