Here are this month's best traders:
http://www.top10traders.com/Top10Standings.aspx
Good luck.
Your first dollars should be spent on getting educated on investing. You don't have to train to trade them professionally, but we are talking about your future here. So the more you learn, the more it'll help you! So let's start there.
You ask a very broad question, so be prepared for a pretty long answer. Just take it in chunks!
How to invest depends on what you already know. We'll assume that you're beginning since you say you want some books for beginners!
A good primer is How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil. You can get it cheap just about anywhere. It’s widely available new or used.
Another good one is one of Jim Cramer's books (he’s got a few).
Once you finish those, read Mastering the Trade, by John Carter
But books will only get you so far. At some point, you'll also want to get at least a little training. There are some great education companies if you want to make the investment. Investools.com or optionetics.com are both very good companies as is tmitchell.com
For free, you can start by visiting thestreet.com and investopedia.com. That'll get you a pretty good primer so at least you'll understand what the markets are and what a stock is, etc.
If you get a chance, watch Mad Money on CNBC. Don't trade any of his picks until you track many of them over time. Just use the show to get you to understand some basics and get a feel for the market itself.
Next, subscribe to something like Investorsbusiness daily or something like that that can help you identify good stocks.
Once you understand stocks, go to 888options.com. It's a website that'll help you understand options (what they do, how they work, etc). You don't need to trade them, but the more you know, the more you'll see how options can really be the safest way to invest (once you're educated).
For discipline (which is crucial to successful trading), probably Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas or Mastering the Trade by John Carter
I know that’s a LOT to absorb. Just take it one step at a time for now. Start with a book or two to give you an idea of where to begin. Take your time, and let it seep in.
As you get up to speed, you should papertrade to practice (highly recommended). This should help reduce your losses in the beginning as you get used to buying/selling.
You can practice for free on almost any reputable broker site (optionsxpress, scottrade, thinkorswim, etc).
Start slow, then as you figure things out, you can buy more shares.
Congrats again on getting started. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Hope this helps!
I know day trading is risky, I am very well capitalized and only plan on putting 10% of my portfolio into play, dont worry its enought.
Thanks!
One was going to teach me to day trade with charts and statistics and graphs and Ouija boards and a gypsy with a crystal ball.
The other promoted a software that would pick stocks ready to break out.
The problem with the first is you would spend all your time charting and mapping and whatever. Trading happens second by second. You don't have time to chart anything.
The other might be fine for investing. But a trader doesn't need to know a stock is ready to break out. A trader needs to know the instant it is going to happen and no software will tell you that.
I do trade. Most of my trades are in DOW stocks. On any giving day,most have a nice daily spread of about a buck and a half. Sometimes it will be much more.
In trading the DOW, I have a very good indicator of where to be. Now I will not get rich doing what I do. But by trading blue chips I minimize my potential for loss. I can always move a good stock into my true investing account, knowing it really will come back
The market travels up and down more because of emotion and greed than it does true financial data.
With brokerage fees being so low you can trade on a twenty-five cent rise. 500 share up .25 is $125. You can do it several times a day. I traded the same stock Monday three times, put the money in the bank and was on the beach by 9AM…. market opens early in Hawaii 
I don't believe anyone can teach you to trade. Your best bet is to try it with play money for a long time before you put up real cash. There are many virtual sites around.
When you do decide to trade, make sure your brokerage firm has level 2 NASDAQ quotes and then learn to use them.
As to forums, I have never had much luck with them. I use Scottrade, with there Total View they have active trader alerts. I had a good look over several days and decided it might be good for them for me to trade their picks but would not do me much good.
Also if you are an active trade you will get marked as a pattern day trade, make sure you keep enough in the account. You also should have another account for investments.
Good Luck and Good Trading