Question: Getting educated on patents

Sorry for my newbie question but any help will be greatly appreciated.  I am looking for literature that can educate me on the patent process, what is patentable and what is not, how does the "do-it-yourself" patent filing works and the pros and cons of it compared to going thru a law firm, etc.  There are a few books on Amazon but wanted to get some recommendations from the Patexia community.

Thanks,

 

Kaveh