Craig,
Just a personal thing, but I found learning the CRP1 (and later, the CRP5) much easier than reading Thom! Some people get on with his books, but I was brought up on Birch & Bramson, which was much more practical and down-to-earth. Thom, I find, is a bit impenetrable and dry in style, though no doubt very thorough and accurate.
If you can, get someone, doesn't have to be an instructor, to go through the CRP 1 with you (so long as they get it right, of course!) I found that much the best way of getting my head around what is arguably the hardest part of learning to fly (apart from paying for it all!)
Oh, and do insist on learning the 'wind down' method. See another thread on this subject.
Cheers,
The Odd One