Front End Drupal: Designing, Theming, Scripting by Emma Hogbin and Konstantin Kafer is one of my favorite books on Drupal. It's written specifically for Drupal 6, but most of the concepts apply to Drupal 7 as well.

For Drupal theming, this is the go-to book. You'll learn how to create or modify any theme, how to override Drupal's core theming functions, and how to create amazing sites with JQuery. The JQuery section is especially helpful, with examples that spell out clearly how to use JQuery in your theme.

Beginners to CSS have a rough time of it. There's no escaping that tough, frustrating early stage before the light bulb clicks on and CSS becomes the coolest tool in your web kit. If you're a newcomer to CSS, welcome to the trenches. But don't despair—grab yourself a copy of Virginia DeBolt's newest book and you'll work your way through the newbie stage in no time at all.

Web Standards Creativity is a fascinating look at how some of the best designers in the business use web standard compliant markup and CSS to take web design to new heights of style and function. Based on actual "case studies," it's also an intriguing look inside these designers heads. The decision-making process they reveal teaches us as much about good design as the methods they're describing.

Have you been feeling lately that CSS and web standards are a little gray and fussy? Too much analytical-looking code and not enough va-vavoom? Well, get ready to have your hair blown back and the wind whistle in your ears. Andy Clarke is about to take you on rollickin' good ride.