I usually recommend Stanley Lippmans "C++ Primer" as a first book on C++.
I'm pretty sure that you have discovered that while many people are able to write a big tome on one topic or the other - the art of creating something that's actually readable from page 1 and onward isn't mastered by all.
The "C++ Primer" is actually readable, and the authors lead the reader gently from chapter to chapter - you could do far worse :)
Nishant Sivakumar book: C++/CLI in Action[
^] is highly recommended if you are thinking about using C++/CLI.
Regards
Espen Harlinn