Jez9999 has a page of good advice for programmers wanting to get into a new language. Instead of reading through the coffee-table references, which are often boring and will turn you off, get a feel for your new prospective language by reading quick tutorials, on the web or in the bookstore. Dip your feet in slowly and code as you learn, and you'll soon be swimming in the deep end, where you'll need those heavy tomes to look up syntax and more difficult questions.
My Advice to Programmers (Jez9999, July 26, 2005)