I just googled
arduino programming book
and I can see why you would want to have a recommendation - there are dozens.
I agree with @Railroader, plain C works well. Try a few pages of books that you can sample on Amzon, also start playing with full examples that you can find in the IDE.
And just start trying to read good examples of real Arduino code; what you are planning to do, if it can be stated now more narrowly, might lead you to look at small example programs that come with (or can be found near) the particular sensors or motors or displays or LEDs or whatever you might want to be working with.
Books are good, but these days it might be good to find a series of youtube videos, look for someone who you can endure for 10-20 minutes at a time - the nice old guy or the cute young lady, they gonna be your friend: TBH some of them drive me right TF up a wall almost instantly, so don't feel bad if you can decide after two minutes that it is time to cross someone off the list.
Don't… get suckered into paying for anything delivered online. A book, especially since you have voice a preference for books, will be worth paying for, online courses I am afraid work out better for the venodrs.
HTH and good luck!
a7