Isn't reading books a good way to build fundamentals? I don't think reading a book necessarily precludes you from working on the exercises in that book, which w

Isn't reading books a good way to build fundamentals? I don't think reading a book necessarily precludes you from working on the exercises in that book, which would indeed be a great way to build your understanding of a language. This is the way I approach learning new languages - working through a tutorial, or, indeed, a book. Giving someone the advice, "Hey, just go write some JavaScript," probably isn't great if they don't know any JavaScript.