If you are beginner piano and want to be a real pianist, a selection of good piano books is really a necessity. You can spend as much time as you want to practicing scales, but it is simply not enough. If all that you do is practice your scales, you will probably get bored with playing piano, and when you get bored, your playing will suffer.
Use songs that you like and you will keep playing fun and interesting, and that is the most important thing that there is, hands down, to make you into a really bang up musician.
There are many good piano books available for piano learning, no matter what kind of music you are into. From classical, to jazz, to rock, to pop, and everywhere in between, there are books on piano available for every genre to keep your interest.
I like a variety of books. I get piano books of the masters of course, but then I like to play popular music too. Your friends and family want to hear something they recognize. It makes it fun to play at parties. Being an entertainer means pleasing the crowd now doesn’t it? Be sure to cover the music spectrum and get a well rounded assortment. You can take requests too!
Remember to get books of music that you don’t like because others will. You can never tell what the crowds will request and you want to be ready. You could start to like playing Mandy.
Of course, once you have looked through enough piano books and studied enough songs, you start to realize that you do not really need the sheet music for everything anymore. After years of diligent and daily study, that magical moment is likely to occur for you, I know it occurred for me. When you can play anything that your heart desires without trying at all you know you have it.
The music will just come to you. You can hear a song once, and can sort of feel the shape of it in your head. Oh, if you want to play it note for note exactly as it has been arranged originally, you will still probably need the piano books, but if you simply want to be able to come up with a version of it that sounds good whenever the occasion calls for it, you will probably need nothing but your own wits, and your nimble little fingers. Then you can put all of your piano books on the curb.
It will take dedication and practice. It will be worth your effort. Playing your own beautiful music will be your reward.