Thats about $60 for 6 months, and $120 for one year. So you have spent $120 in one year and the only thing left, is the information your brain can remember.
I believe Safari is the wrong thing for a beginner. $10/month for five books seems to be cheap, but in the long run you better buy the books you will need during the next years.
So if you don't care to read your books on the screen, $63.96 for The Perl CD Bookshelf: Version 2.0 will be a much wiser investment.
That does not mean Safari is useless and a too expensive service. Actually Safari is a great service for Programmers. Some books you read just once, and its not necessary to buy them. If your a lucky you can get these books from your local library; if not Safari will be the service you need.

Hanamaki