I have used the 'Genki' text+exercise books. I think they are rather good, but sometimes a bit weirdly structured. But they give a good overview over the basic grammar.
Tae Kim's is a good grammar source, too, and it's free (
http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/complete).
After you have learned some grammar+vocabs+kanji you could try Michael Emmerich's "Read Real Japanese". They have short stories/essays with explanations to grammar and vocabulary used. So you can practise reading and understanding without being completely on your own. AND they have the audio included, read by Japanese people. I think that's pretty neat! :)
Hope this helps you a bit!
May 27, 2014 at 9:48am