I too immediately thought of the thread you linked Ted. Most of these recommendations are motivational in nature as opposed to how to's. Alex, read and ask questions here and you'll get great information! Welcome to BP!
There are many good books on the market, however as an active real estate investor, I suggest one that shows a series of advanced strategies and practical steps on how to succeed with real estate investing based on easy to follow instructions and weekly tasks.
As a very first book on real estate investing, I recommend:
"The Millionaire Real Estate Investor," by Gary Keller
I've found this book repetitive and a little hard to know where he is going at times but still useful.
Investing in Real Estate 6th edition by Gary Eldred, is more my style in that it is straight to the point, if you don't have any investing background or business background than you will defiantly need to pickup another book.
Flip - How to find, fix, and sell houses for profit is one of the best books I've read. It basically walks you through all the different steps of the flip while covering the topics with enough depth that you have a good understanding of the task and how to perform them. It doesn't cover every little detail as you should probably be networking or learning these as you do your first flip. I have found nothing misleading or overlooked that could cause you substantial financial harm.
I always reccommend a book, oldie but goodie. The Truth About Money by Ric Edelman. 10 years old or more and somewhat anti real estate. Still, everything you would ever need to know about money.
I also like The Millionaire Mind. Rich
Check out Barnes and Noble or Books a Million bookstores. If it is something that is getting used - it will be available from these places. Local libraries have a limited budget so do not have the latest materials, but you may also find some gems there. What one person may feel is a good book may not be the way another may see the same book. Get all the self-education you can in this area!