Books on design

Which books on design do you recommend that you find particularly well written?

critiques

I am curious if anybody uses writing in the critique process? If so, how do you integrate it?

collaborative writing

Can writing be a collaborative process? Please share your thoughts on the collaborative nature of writing, both in an educational setting and in practice.

brainstorming

Do any of you work with tools such as mindmapping, freewriting, reflective writing, word lists, etc.. with your students or in your own work? Feel free to share any thoughts on these brainstorming techniques or any others that you think work well for visual learners.