Check out this (free) book http://ciml.info http://ciml.info. I used it in my ML course (professor was the author), and remember it being one of the better text

Check out this (free) book http://ciml.info http://ciml.info. I used it in my ML course (professor was the author), and remember it being one of the better textbooks I've read. Covers a variety of topics in a relatively easy-to-read and succinct manner, given the subject matter. Not exactly light on math, so you may want to read up on some multivariate Calculus and Linear Algebra before the later chapters. First few sections should be approachable regardless.