Another question? Where do I get guidebooks to plan the route and to help me navigate? I would love to get a book to help me with this. I intend to spend 60 days so that I have enough time to explore the route and not walk with just the end in mind.
There are a number of guide books you can get to help you plan and navigate. The
Brierley guide is probably the most popular one in English, but I also liked the Village to Village guide and the Moon guide. Wise Pilgrim also publishes a paper guide. All of these can be purchased from the Forum Store, and I believe that Ivar will throw in a free credencial if you purchase from there.
I also love to recommend Gitlitz and Davidson's
The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook. It won't give you maps of the route, accommodations listings, information about available infrastructure (where to find banks, grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and bars, etc.). Its focus is on the more enduring: the history, art and architecture, flora and fauna, etc. It is a very worthwhile complement to the books above. I own it in both paper and ebook versions so I can enjoy the paper book at home and take the ebook (which takes no space in my backpack and weighs nothing) with me on Camino. I deeply wish there was a similar book for other routes.
I know you asked about books, but I would be doing you a great disservice if I didn't mention apps. Personally, while I love books and keep far too many at home (I was educated as a librarian), I prefer not to take paper books on Camino. I find apps much more useful. They show where you are on the map so if you haven't seen a yellow arrow for a little while you can instantly confirm whether or not you've wandered off-trail and get yourself back on-trail if you have. They also have up to date comments or ratings of albergues from fellow pilgrims which can help in planning where to stay. Buen Camino and Wise Pilgrim (the same folk who print the paper books) are probably the two most common apps used. These can also be very useful in planning. And, in the same vein, I should mention Gronze.com (which now also has an app as well as the website). It is in Spanish only, but the website will be translated by the Chrome browser if you like. It is a great tool for planning, as well, with up-to-date albergue listings (accompanied by a wealth of comments), descriptions of the trail, and a "To the parrot" tab (don't ask) giving handy tips about the day's stage.