At first I didn't know anything about C Programming Language. Now I am ok in it.
Sams Teach Yourself C in 21 days, 6th edition. ISBN# 0-672-32448-2
It will give you a very solid foundation in C Programming, but it is more for computers.
Along with
Beginner's Guide to Embedded C Programming by Chuck Hellebuyck ISBN# 978-1438231594
It is a good book, It will get you started.
Get yourself a microchip's PICkit2 Starter Kit. It will come with a Demo Board. This way you know it's not the hardware.
(www microchipdirect com )
(DV164120 is the one that Chuck Hellebuyck uses)
(DV164121 will throw a small curve ball at you)
The hard part about any microcontroller is getting the chip setup and configuring the registers.
Keep with-it, They are so worth it. and it gets easier.
I've gotten some books on PIC programming, but I feel like the resources you can find online are actually better, and free to boot. Several users on here have good tutorials, Nigel and 3v0 are two that come to mind.