Hi Waterlilli,
What bike did you end up getting? Weren't you looking for one around December or so? Its always fun too hear what everyone ends up with
Zinn and the Art of mountain/road bike maintenance is excellent. If you're building a mountain bike, the CD Break it, Fix it, Ride it, is a good help too. It has better pictures than the book but sometimes its hard to get around the software. I haven't yet built a bike but when I get my new frame I want to see what's going on and try to do most of it myself with someone assisting. It should be fun!
Good Luck!
Kristina