A book about croissants/viennoiserie

Learning through repertoire is a good way to build standard skills in nearly every discipline. If what you want is to be able to create a variety of good meals then cooking out of books will serve you well. That isn't to say that the book you choose doesn't matter, of course it does! A book full of accurate facts and procedures does not a good teacher make. Choose a cookbook that is so engrossing that you don't mind reading it like a novel. That's how I felt reading Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook and I'm sure you can find a similarly inspiring work.

Understand that this makes you one who can produce recipes, nothing more. I mean this earnestly and non-disparagingly, as being one who can replicate a good recipe time and again is one who has a high level of skill. Still, most who delve into cooking and the culinary arts are rarely satisfied by this state of affairs. One desires to substitute ingredients, build on a base, even invent their own cuisine! For that, experimentation is the best teacher. You're going to have to start cooking boldly and failing often to achieve that. There really is no better teacher than making something completely inedible out of $50 worth of pork, then adding insult to injury with a fast food dinner. =/

Penelope Casas is the queso grande of Spanish cookbook authors. Her seminal 1982 book 'The Foods and Wines of Spain' is still a treasure trove of authentic, well-researched dishes from the many distinct culinary regions of Spain. She's done many other books on Spanish cooking since then, including the newly revised edition of 'Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain', available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Tapas-Revised-Little-Dishes-Spain/dp/0307265528/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303850450&sr=1-3). In addition to her depth and breadth of knowledge, Ms. Casas is also a transporting writer who'll fill your imagination with the tastes and aromas she so engagingly describes.