Here is the list of books I've recently purchased for myself and recommend for you too:

📖"Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches"

This classic book includes full illustrated instructions for over 400 embroidery stitches, ranging from simple border and outline stitches, to filling stitches, canvas stitches and pulled fabric stitches. Scattered throughout are dozens of inspirational embroideries to show the stitches in use. This detailed guide is ideal for those starting out with needlework as well as more accomplished embroiderers looking for inspiration for different stitches and techniques.

Where to buy: https://amzn.to/3jatbyK

📖"Book of Embroidery" The Royal School of Needlework

This beautiful book is a rich source of embroidery techniques, stitches and projects, covering eight key subjects in detail: crewelwork, bead embroidery, stumpwork, canvaswork, goldwork, whitework, blackwork and silk shading. Containing all the trusted, bestselling content from the RSN Essential Stitch Guide series, plus a new section on mounting your finished work, this fantastic book is a must-have for all embroiderers.

Where to buy: https://amzn.to/3tapRYO

📖"Colour Confidence in Embroidery" by Trish Burr

Based on her own experience with long and short stitch shading, gained through trial and error over the years, the author provides a greater awareness of how colour affects our embroidery, and what brings it to life.
Each aspect is clearly illustrated by example and includes tools for selecting colours, choosing shades that enhance our embroidery, why some shades blend better than others, and the importance of contrast with light and shadow. There are projects to represent each colour group including stunning roses, camellias, fruit and the much sought-after bee-eater birds, but the highlights of the book for any stitcher have to be the chapters on colour combinations and complementary colours. These include more than 200 stitched examples with DMC thread keys, plus schemes to help choose colours for your own projects. Colour Confidence in Embroidery is the first of its kind on this subject and a valuable resource for any embroiderer. Although based on long and short stitch shading the principles could be applied to any surface or counted thread embroidery. Highly recommended!

Where to buy: https://amzn.to/2YBKor7

📖"Embroidery Stitches Step by Step" by Lucinda Ganderton

Step-by-step instructions and clear photographs show you how to complete more than 200 stitches. Everything you need to choose the right thread, needles, and fabrics. Invaluable for beginners and full of ideas for the accomplished stitcher. But "Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches" book is more detailed and has more stitches.

Where to buy: https://amzn.to/3tkafSS

📖"Embroidered Cat in My Pocket" by Hiroko Kubota

Hiroko uses a technique that lets you 'paint with thread'. It requires a small needle, single strands of embroidery floss plus lots of shades of the same colour, and two stitches - one bigger than the other - that repeat again and again. This adorable collection of five projects, core techniques, and templates lets you recreate Hiroko's magic. It's great book for those who wants to try embroidering cat faces. But I think that progress pictures could be bigger or zoomed and I'm looking for some other books with cat faces tutorials.

Where to buy: https://amzn.to/2MgH5U0

Do you have some other books in mind to recommend? I will be happy to hear from you 💕