When I was in college I was just starting to come in to my own as a cook and I found this book really helpful. The curry dish in here has become a staple of mine that I love to cook and all my friends love to eat.
Starting Out: The Essential Guide to Cooking On your Own by Julie van Rosendaal has been my bible forever.
Most cookbooks can be intimidating, but there's sections that explain what everything is (searing vs. sauteeing, braising vs. boiling,) how to pick good veggies, how to fix mistakes in your cooking, etc. Then the chapters are broken down into things like: Breakfast, lunch, beef, chicken, beans, quick breads, etc. The recipes are really easy and simple, and they don't have pictures! I love the lack of pictures because you don't feel like a failure when your food doesn't look like some sort of food-styled epic mouthgasm. The recipes are all really basic and they each come with a few ideas on ways to play with the recipe, and instructions on how to store it and what to do with the leftovers.
So if you're into books, I'd strongly recommend it as a starting point.