Don't bother with a book. Books are made to sell products and I haven't seen one yet that doesn't have outdated information, even those printed this year. Especially books produced by TFH (tropical fish hobbyist). Try aquariumadvice.com and look at their articles as well as the forum.
Acrylic or glass. Glass definately. I wouldn't touch acrylic for anything less that 75 gallons.
Filters. Elite stingray is a good one. They are made for 5-15 gallons, but I have the largest one in my 30 gallon tank and it keeps the tank cycled. I switched the filter sponge it came with and used my own sponge (just a plain sponge) instead. These filters are almost dead silent. I only clean them once every month or two and then only squeeze the sponge off in a bucket of tank water and using the same sponge to clean the plastic components. I find replacing the carbon stuff to do more harm to the cycle than good. You really don't need carbon in a tank anyway, it's only active for 7 days.
Fish depends on tank size and what you like in a fish. You'll probably be disappointed at what you can fit in a 10 gallon tank. I don't recommend mollies for a 10g. A 20g tank will give you twice the possibilities.
Edit: I found a review of a freshwater fish atlas which sums up most hobbyist's views on these books
"I consider my purchase of this book with the same sort of shame and embarrassment as my purchase of a who's who of high school students several years ago. The authors have learned to make money by cataloguing information without really understanding or thinking about it. Without much more than pictures, the reader has little chance of extracting any useful information. I would be very surprised if all of the pictures truly represent the intended species, and I would be very surprised if the authors of this kind of book are anything more than charlatans."
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I definately think I'm going to get a 20 gallon but I might have to save some more money or transfer money from my other account. The good thing is I get $50 a month so I should be done saving soon 
But seriously once again thanks so much for all the advice!!! Hehehe I hope my rats don't get jealous that there will be more pets in my room 
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