I like to start a new language with the Pimsleur system. But even though they say it is unnecessary to practice reading, I have found it vital. When starting Russian, I found that a lot of sounds I thought I heard were, upon reading, incorrect. Basically I was saying some words incorrectly when speaking. 😬 A lot of this depends on whether the language has phonemes that don’t exist in one’s native language. And, how good one’s hearing is. 😂

The "Assimil" products that combine audio recordings with written text are very effective, in my opinion. They seem boring at first, but they work quite well, so now I like them. I also like to watch videos of talk show episodes in the language that I study. (Например, я думаю, что шоу с Иваном Ургантом — это хороший способ послушать, как русские люди ведут нормальные разговоры.) Each country usually has several shows like this. Good luck!