I have a couple of Machado's books and for me Rod is a little too wordy. He gives a lot more details than you really need. His stuff is nice to have for when you want to explore some specific topic, but it's a bit much for a primary training reference.
To start, just get the PHAK and the AFH, either as a free PDF download or a purchased print copy, plus the latest edition of the FAR/AIM. Study those and then start doing practice exams. If you feel the need, then add on another book or two. (I have completely filled a bookcase and have dozens more books stacked on top of it.) But for right now, those should be plenty to keep you busy. There's nothing on the Private Pilot written exam that can't be found in the PHAK, AFH, and FAR/AIM.
I see that, surprisingly, no one has yet mentioned Stick and Rudder, so I won't either.