Tae Kim is pretty hard, I would admit. Not harsh, but it can be a bit odd. And a certain someone does have some beef with him about that...
With that thought, since that's part of your question you might appreciate an alternative perspective on what I might call the "Holy Trinity" (I'm making it up. There are three of them, no direct relation to each other, a couple of them kind of borrows the format of the other). Imabi, Sakubi, and Yokubi. They are all online guides.
Now, to get it out of the way, Imabi. This is one that probably has some contrast with TK, and there's history of its creator not speaking highly of the guy. I can understand that. But the work speaks for itself. Imabi is a currently ongoing project AFAIK, and it is extensive. Like you can probably go from a beginner's course to far more advanced. But the late stages of this are yet complete. There are still some gaps left, and the site is going through organizing that bit.
Cons - I have yet to actually find a way to get a printout out of it. There's some good info, almost wikipedia-like. But it takes a lot to talor some thousands of pages of grammar for all that. So, it's online only, for now.
Sakubi - it looks like a website stuck in 1997 or something. It actually started getting published in 2017. About a year of that, and that was it. At most, you can get the beginner's stuff. Since the site is so basic, you can just scroll through it. I was able to make my own PDF for reference, so it has that going for me.
Cons - It's virtually defunct. Its creator is no longer doing the upkeep. But there is a silver lining...
Enter, Yokubi. This is more of the latest version of Sakubi. Basically, it's a copy (with permission), and I would regard it as a revised edition. I believe it is still a live project for now. I like it not only with how beautifully it's ike an e-book, it turns out it prints like one too. Go figure.
Cons - It's kind of the same stuff Sakubi has, even if with better edits. I don't know if it would go to the scale like Imabi, but either Sakubi or Yokubi are easy to read when you start out.
Out of the three, take your pick. I use them all when I need to and appreciate them. I have more resources, but I use them less.
I also kind of jumped on the wayward side for a short while ago for something different. Kind of to see if it could help shape my thinking, even if I'm not seriously attached. This would be Cure Dolly's lessons. But instead of browsing through the videos themselves, there's a compilation that includes kind of the transcriptions and visuals that you can read and/or alongside the videos. I believe there are some extra things in it to look up. However, it's very long (wow, Dolly did a lot!). Probably as long as Imabi is now.
It does get advanced when you progress further, but in the beginning, it's more about visualizing the concept of the language in the Japanese way. I could say that if I go between that and Imabi, I'd be bridging gaps in my studies for when I really get into more Japanese beyond basic. It might be easier to learn. I haven't gotten too far ahead though. Only around the first 21 lessons, and have already forgotten most of it now. No worries, since I have barely scratched the surface and later it might get easier to get it after a while.
So, really, just try to do some Google-fu. Find some grammar point and research it. Research and try to put it in practice. It'll all come together.
