Books are great (I own a couple) but I'm more of a visual learner. Here are some great tutorials you can check out. http://therecordingrevolution.com/5minutes/

+1 on recording revolution.  The videos are all pro tools but the principles apply to any DAW

Ended up getting "Guerilla Home Recording: How to get great sound from any studio (no matter how weird or cheap your gear is)." by Karl Coryat. It's a good read, puting things in terms that would probably be a bit simplistic for most of you on here, but ideal for a novice like me.

+1 on "Guerilla Home Recording." There's a lot of great information in that book!

i think the best way to start, is with the sonar manual.

and as you walk thru each section, and use the examples, you'll get dialed in about as fast as you could