K&R is still a great book but there are also other great books. Programming in C by Kochan and A Modern Approach by King are two fantastic books and much more s

K&R is still a great book but there are also other great books. Programming in C by Kochan and A Modern Approach by King are two fantastic books and much more suited to a true beginner than K&R is IMHO. Also Head First C and 21st Century C (second edition) are great books to read. The exercises in K&R are superb though and I highly recommend taking the time to do them all while you read K&R which I still feel you should, it is a small book so shouldn't take long to read.