Alex:
I'd start with Ron DeBruin's Google Search Add-In:
http://www.rondebruin.nl/Google.htm. This gives you wide access to the
newsgroups and their archives. Rarely is a question new; find out what's
already been asked and answered.
Here's one place to check for books:
http://www.ozgrid.com/Services/ExcelBooks.htm. Also:
http://www.contextures.com/xlbooks.html.
As for the Help files, they can be frustrating at first. I have found that
it's usually because Help answers a specific question about a specific
function, and I am wanting a general answer to a broader question. The Help
files are pretty good if you know what question to ask. I have also found
that, if I don't know what question to ask, I may not have a firm grasp on
what my problem really is.
Good luck. I dove head-first into VBA about a year ago, and learned most of
what I know now from the excellent folks here on the newsgroup. Now I've
gotten a few cash awards here at work for stuff I've done with macros - not
to mention saving myself and others countless hours of work time!
Ed