I had many Chinese cookbooks but i cant recommend to you coz they are all in Chinese
Sorry
Actually, I am Catonese so I dont know much about szechuan. I only know a few....
For Potato starch and Corn starch
Potato starch
Pros: Give you much more "shiny look" for thicken sauce, less sticky so more control for consistency.
Cons: Sauce will become "watery" faster than using corn starch
Corn starch
Pros: more sticky, Sauce can hold longer
Cons: less shiny, it is easy for you to apply too much
so that almost all Catonese restaurants are using potato starch for thicken sauce, I know some Chef will mix Potato and Corn Starch for thicken soup.
By far, the most famous Holland Windmill Potato is named no.1 in Catonese restaurants.
Yes we apply starch almost on everything. If you use properly, you can make restaurant food at home. For example, stir fry peas or Chinese broccoli doesnt absorb taste easily unless you overcook them.If you apply proper amount of potato starch, it will give you a shiny loook also the sauce will cover on the vegs(locking the water coming out frm vegs). Honestly, I cant apply right amount for peas everytime, it is easy to do it over or less.
I use potato starch at home and i like it personally. there is no problem you use any kind of starch at all.
when you apply starch, you first prepare a bowl of starch with cool water(could be room temperature but not even warm)
Hope this help