Reddit mentions of The Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums

I've not been in the aquarium scene in a long time, but there are several good stores in that area, and even better, one of the best planted tank clubs in the country, GWAPA, in that area! If you plan on sticking to the hobby, look those guys up (gwapa.org was the url when I was involved). There's a tremendous amount of knowledgeable people there, meetings are a blast, and they've hosted at least 2 of the national aquatic plant association annual conventions in the past 10 years. They do interesting talks or projects at each meeting, often bring in various experts to give presentations (there is a local predatory plant expert who has spoken several times on Venus fly traps & pitcher plants, for example) And their monthly meeting auctions are amazing in available species and price. I can't encourage anyone close enough to join and attend meetings enthusiastically enough!

I hope OP doesn't give up. Like someone else said, keeping an aquarium isn't a dark art, but there are a few topics that aren't exactly intuitive that are key to keeping fish, mainly understanding the nitrogen cycle, regular partial water changes, feeding amounts and stocking levels.

Fortunately that info is widely available either online or in several great books (I'm a big proponent of a good book that I can reference when having problems). When I was managing an aquarium store, I pointed beginners to (a simple guide to freshwater aquariums)[ https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Guide-Fresh-Water-Aquariums/dp/0793821010] as it's simple, but thorough and has a good section on common diseases and how to treat them. For plants specifically, the internet is actually the best source for information unless you're looking for a plant species reference.