The first test is not hard... a couple of 9 year old kids passed it after studying a little.
The exam structure is quite conductive to just memorizing the answers [4], but it is really better if you try to have some understanding so I recommend the books.
You can take practice exams, or drill with flash cards, or review the entire question pools at hamexam.org or hamstudy.org. Make accounts at those sites and they will keep stats on how you do for each subsection of the test questions so you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses.
There are mobile apps for iOS and Android that provide functionality similar to hamexam.org and hamstudy.org.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625...
[2] https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/d...
[3] https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/...
[3] See this comment for some more on the exam structure: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15353793
If you just want to get the license as quickly/easily as possible, get a copy of the book (hell, the question pools are probably even online, I'm sure) and spend a weekend memorizing the answers before you go take the test.
If you want to actually understand the material (which I highly recommend), then spend the extra time to research the questions and answers.
I don't think it's ever been easier to get a ham radio license.
For actual knowledge that you might find useful and interesting but don't have to really memorize, ARRL books.