So, what do you look for, now that I have given you the reason why it's ok to learn out of a book. Let's consider your goals. If you are a beginner, it's essential you get a good foundation, taught properly. Whether you are more interested in drawing or painting, you still must learn the basics. That is also the case, regardless of what style you adapt. Because no matter how much you deviate from these fundamentals in your own style, you need to be aware that you are doing it and generally how much. Otherwise you will not be able to effectively portray your ideas. You start out with drawing, even if you prefer painting.

To determine if a book will be helpful, you want to
1. find step by step photographs, which you feel you could progress from one to another

2. be able to understand the text instruction
3. like the end results shown

In approaching any form of art, one must consider the entire project and your goal, during each step. For that reason, you want to learn how to 'work the page' which means, giving each part of the page equal attention, continuously.

Now the books, that's why you clicked on this anyway. Start with this book:How to Draw the Human Figure (Watson-Guptill Artist's Library)
This will give you a solid introduction for the basics of figure drawing, getting a general sense of the figure, the basic proportions, how things relate to each other, basic shapes and angles. Look at the back cover. See those figure sketches? You want to learn how to do that first. Those are gesture drawings. Yours shouldn't be so refined at first. Don't even try to clean them up like that. They are exercises and you do them quick, to warm up and get used to working the whole page. So I don't wanna see any neat drawings! Is that understood? All right, now the next book Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy solidifies your understanding of how the body moves and carries itself, making your figures more natural and flowing.

I don't like charcoal drawing for beginners, too messy unless you know what you are doing. But it is good for loose gesture poses to warm up, because they are shorter, less time to muddy them up. This book Life Drawing in Charcoal is about refining a charcoal drawing, so wait to do that until you have mastered an easier media, like pencil. Meanwhile, of course, you should be doing loose charcoal sketches for warming up for a drawing session. It's very important for you to loosen up so your figures are not awkward and stiff.

Then you can progress to books that refine your technique in different ways. These are for the advanced beginner and on:
Keys to Drawing
Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil
The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing

These by Douglas Graves are good step by step instructors: Drawing a Likeness, Drawing Portraits .
 

Don't get books like How to Draw What You See. Immersing oneself in these geometric grinds at the start is unnecessary self sacrifice, similar to learning to drive by starting with a class in how to change the valves on its motor.

For reference, you will find books like this very helpful: Dynamic Figure Drawing ,Dynamic Anatomy ,Drawing Dynamic Hands ,and The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression .

Use different sources for learning more about gestures, composition and perspective: Perspective! for Comic Book Artists: How to Achieve a Professional Look in Your Artwork.