and not everyone has the mind for it
If you aren't a professional
Software has a huge advantage over regular accounting books. If you have a basic understanding of what you are doing, you can learn how to put your information into the program, and it will do most of the work for you. It can also generate reports to let you know how you are doing. You can get reports for expenses, profit, operating costs, and anything else you may need to know. Software such as Peachtree Accounting comes with customer support.
If you really want to do this, you should buy some textbooks first, and get a grip on the basics. Accounting books can be found online as well as in many major bookstores. You can find more complicated books if you wish to learn everything there is about accounting, or you can buy simpler guides that will teach you what you need to know without going into too much detail. This is great if you want to keep an eye on things, but then will hand everything over to an accountant or tax preparer http://cash-book.us/ at the end of the year.
They may offer simple and basic accounting courses for those with a home or small business.