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I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you can't learn a language without learning its grammar. Your request is like someone who wants to be a surgeon saying he doesn't want to bother with studying anatomy. It just doesn't work like that.

Sure, with Duolingo or Youtube or a smart phone app, you could probably pick up some vocabulary and maybe even a few stand-alone phrases. Without understanding the grammar, though, you'll never be able to put those words together into meaningful sentences and arrange those sentences into meaningful conversations.

It would be like listening to someone in English who always says things like "Me want store please to go." Sure, a native English speaker will probably understand that you really meant "I want to go to the store, please." However, after two minutes of a conversation like that, the native speaker will be mentally exhausted.

So, as someone who himself didn't start learning German until he was 18, please believe me when I tell you that you will be doing yourself a huge favor in the long run if you take it slow here at the beginning and don't try to jump ahead until you get a firm grasp on the grammar. This won't necessarily be easy, and it won't necessarily be thrilling, but it *is* necessary. Having a large vocabulary and knowing cool slang words don't mean anything if you can't put them together correctly to make sentences.

Finally, you mentioned that you don't know English grammar very well. This is part of the problem, too. How can you learn the grammar of a foreign language if you don't have a frame of reference via the grammar of your own language? A grammar guide that was used in the German department where I studied might be helpful. It's relatively inexpensive on its own, but you might even be able to find it for free at a local public or university library, if you have access to one.

Finally, don't hesitate to ask grammar questions here (but help us help you by not asking 20 different grammar questions in the same post).

Viel Spaß und viel Erfolg!

Hmm, yeah that's a bit trickier. Some ideas:

1. You can find some TedX talks on youtube with both English and German subtitles. Some are auto-generated, but some are done by an actual translator.
   
   
2. Assimil has a French based advanced German course. If you speak French that's the easiest option, but the audio and German text might do you some good on its own if you don't need much help understanding it.
   
   
3. German language podcasts with transcriptions might be available - I haven't looked personally, but it seems like a thing that might exist.
   
   
4. Other materials for German learners. While I haven't used any of them personally, this list looks like it might have some good options for you: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/german/intermediate-german-podcast/ . There are also German short story books with accompanying audio:
   
   

• https://www.amazon.com/German-Stories-Beginners-Improve-listening/dp/1974292207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526402562&sr=8-1&keywords=german+listening
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/German-Short-Stories-Beginners-Learn/dp/1978477392/ref=pd_bxgy_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1978477392&pd_rd_r=JSQS71E11AZGVZM1CQG9&pd_rd_w=5j5pz&pd_rd_wg=d8LVy&psc=1&refRID=JSQS71E11AZGVZM1CQG9
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Learn-German-Stories-Berlin-Beginners/dp/1492399493/ref=pd_bxgy_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1492399493&pd_rd_r=JSQS71E11AZGVZM1CQG9&pd_rd_w=5j5pz&pd_rd_wg=d8LVy&psc=1&refRID=JSQS71E11AZGVZM1CQG9&dpID=61MmYtO4euL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=detail (there's a bunch more in this series, but it looks like it might only have the audio available as an audiobook instead of a cd/download, which might make it less useful.)
  
  

5. Keeping with your TV idea might be the most entertaining option. If you're at the level where you can understand a fair bit of material meant for native speakers then I'd suggest just using that or the audiobook/kindle thing and highlight any sentences you want, then copy them from your kindle homepage into your SRS (though that might be unwieldy if you want both the English and German versions - still possible with two versions of the e-book, but it sounds like a hassle).
   
   Not sure if any of these will be helpful - I wish I had something better to suggest! If only the world had more Assimil lol.
   
   Edit: formatting and comment on last link.
   

I suggest you take a look at the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In my opinion, two and a half months may be enough to get to A2 if you have the time to spend in learning the language. Don't forget to check the Wiki out, there's a lot of good (and free) resources there.
First: Duolingo and Memrise are good for getting to know new words. Alone, they won't be much help in understanding how to actually speak the language. It's a good start, but it won't take you much further.
Second: you will have to learn the grammar. I spent months on Duolingo without a proper grammar lesson and I got to the point where I was only trying to guess the answers. You can watch Deutsch Für Euch and German with Jenny videos. I used this grammar to learn and I think it is good enough.
Third: you can use the first month to focus on A1 and the second month to focus on A2. I'm saying this because it can be ridiculously easy to feel overwhelmed with German. It will seems like you learned nothing and that you still have a ton of things to study, this is normal. It is very hard to go further than A2 in only two months, so it is better to focus on what A1 and A2 levels need to know and study it hard. If you feel that you know it already and you still have a couple weeks left, you can adventure on B1 lessons. Plan it wisely.
Fourth: listen to a lot of German. You'll be surrounded by the language very soon, and you seriously need to get used to the sound of it. There are youtube channels like Easy German and podcasts like Slow German that can help you with that. You probably won't understand what is being said, but it is good to get used to it. Deutsch Welle has a few podcasts and interactive courses that will help you.

I guess it depends on how you want to go about learning.

I can really only offer my way of doing things and that's with flash cards. My favorite program for flash cards is a program called Anki. It's a free opens-source application and it's based on the Spaced Repetition System approach of memorization. There are plenty of pre-made decks available on Anki's website but I prefer to make my own because I am a crazy person.

For books, I use a copy of Barron's English to German dictionary as it includes a very comprehensive digital copy for free and as well as a frequency dictionary. For online sources I really like Wiktionary and Linguee for my translations on the go since I only have the Barron's dictionary on one machine. I find Wiktionary to sometimes offer really useful elaboration on more confusing words but this sub is a really good source too.

German grammar books are a dime a dozen but my favorite is Schaum's Outline thought this is largely up to personal preference. I'd recommend going to a local bookstore if you can and looking through the options.

There's no definitive German course as there is for Russian, by which I mean if you ask "What German course should I start out with?", you won't get everyone giving the same response as they will with Russian.

However, if you like the Penguin Russian Course (which I've also been using), I'd recommend (as I have many times before on this sub) German: How to write and speak it by Joseph Rosenberg. It's an old book, but it has a great layout with simply-explained grammar, plenty of vocabulary, useful exercises (when I started with the Penguin Course, I was struck by the similarity of the exercises), and an abundance of various translations (again, a lot like the Penguin Course). My personal favorite thing about the book is the short German paragraphs at the end of each chapter that talk about some location in Germany. They're written in "regular" German, not simplified for beginners, so they give you experience with useful vocabulary, grammar, and phrasing before you formally learn the concepts. There are, of course, translations in the back, and the author gives advice on how best to use the translation exercises to form automatic comprehension.

I have two recommendations for you, things I've been using and can vouch for.

The first is Grammatik aktiv A1/B1 ( https://www.amazon.com/Grammatik-aktiv-Ubungsgrammatik-eingelegter-Hor-CD/dp/306023972X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=63XKLYO0XV4M&keywords=grammatik+aktiv+a1-b1&qid=1566311146&s=gateway&sprefix=grammatik+aktiv%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1 ). The vibe is a bit like Menschen with the colorful illustrations and such, but I find it focuses much more on the actual content and less on fun, fluffy stuff.

If you want straight to the point like an arrow into your self esteem and very core essence, I'd recommend Hammer's Grammar and Usage (a reference book) combined with Hammer's Practicing German Grammar (an exercise book). I got them in a double pack: https://www.amazon.com/Hammers-German-Grammar-Usage-Practising/dp/0815393946/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3T81E42TJI6N1&keywords=hammer%27s+german+grammar+and+usage&qid=1566311163&s=gateway&sprefix=hammer%27s+gramm%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-2 Using these is a very humbling experience, kind of like being hit over the head with an *ahem* hammer, but it really helps you nail down some very precise grammar points.

I hope these help!

If you can get only 1 grammar? "Lehr- und Übungsbuch der deutschen Grammatik" (this is the same as this one - with the explanations in German for the first one and in English for the second; Some pages are visible here; the answer key is the same and separate from the books). It is tagged as A2-C1 although there is very little for A2 and it is not deep enough for complete C1 :) That's the grammar I used when I studied German back in the stone age (a much earlier edition of it); that's the one that is the most helpful now that I am in recovery mode. Its natural successor down the road is this one which is tagged as B2-C2 but is indeed a C grammar :)

I would still recommend a textbook series if you can afford one - I had been using Begegnungen and Erkundugen to restore my German and they are pretty useful - look at the content of Begegnungen B1 and see if you need it; or just start with Erkundugen B2. They have their audio and answers included so you just buy 1 thing per level. They also will structure your studies a bit.

Also - there are a LOT of online exercises to give you some more practice. I posted this a few days ago so take a look - ignore the A1/A2 material of course. None of those require codes from textbooks or anything :) At this level, you won't find many courses online but there are exercises and guides.

Hammer's German and Usage

Hammer's German and Usage Workbook

German Grammar drills

Secondary grammar book

Personally, Hammer's Grammar book is quite enough. It is around 500 pages of dry grammar. It is very well constructed and very easy to understand, get it with workbook. It is logical, as it teaches you from the most essential and easiest structures. Nouns -> genders, -> cases, that way it is easier to learn.

Secondary Grammar book is not necessary.

Advice her to use Anki, its a very helpful tool i think for the most easiest words to learn. Especially it helps a lot with German genders.

I have a BA and MA in German, so that's pretty much how I learned. I also did some studying on my own for grammar points that I found confusing. There're a lot of websites for German grammar. Watching videos in German is a good way to improve your listening comprehension. I can watch most films in German starring Germans without much of a problem. However, I can't understand Austrians. It sounds to me like they're speaking German with a mouth full of food. I don't want to brag (well maybe a little), but I'm really good at German grammar. To me it just makes sense. If you want a good German grammar book, I'd recommend English Grammar for Students of German. I also highly recommend this website. It's by a native German speaker, but he really knows his stuff and understands how to teach it to native English speakers. I've used it especially for some of the finer grammar points.

I taught myself german while I was in highschool and I am still teaching myself in college (almost 4 years now). What really helped me was to make a reference notebook as I learned things. In it I had conjugation charts, article charts, noun case charts, sentence structure references, and some specific irregular verbs conjugated out. In the back I had a list of common words I had to remember and a list of irregular verbs with their rules. There's tons of good references for conjugations and such on google images if you don't feel like writing and drawing it all out on your own. It really helps you see the patterns which will help you form your own sentences on your own easier, since imo Duolingo doesn't do a great job teaching you the speech and grammar patterns and just throws it at you in a trial-and-error learning method.

Along with my reference notebook and duolingo, I got some inexpensive grammar workbooks from amazon. There are plenty of free online worksheets too, but I like having everything in one place and it basically gave me a curriculum to follow. I worked on this pronouns and prepositions one and this verb tense one simultaneously going chapter by chapter, then after finishing them and a lot more duolingo moved on to Intermediate Grammar. This series has so many options, but these three I felt were more difficult and not as well-covered by Duolingo, which definitely covers a ton of vocabulary and conversational grammar. here may be some overlap, but practice is practice and it will only help you.

I have not stopped using Duolingo either. Always do the speech prompts during practice! Pronunciation is one of the hardest parts to learn, since you have to make completely new mouth shapes. I didn't have anyone to practice speaking with so I practiced by reading passages and repeating the questions and answers on Duolingo. The Stories feature on desktop duolingo is great for this!

In the same way that die can be either an article or a relative pronoun in German, that can be either a relative pronoun or a simple subordinating conjunction in English. Sometimes the same form fulfills multiple functions in a language. It's simply a different way of dividing up the grammatical work.

Edit: I will point out that we actually can make a distinction here in English, but only for inanimate vs. animate antecedents. If it's a relative pronoun, you can get that or who(m). If it's just a plain subordinating conjunction, you'll only get that.

• I know that he is already here. (conjunction)
  
• I know who he is already here. (conjunction, so the form does not change)
  
• That is the most beautiful house that I have ever seen. (relative pronoun)
  
• That is the most beautiful woman who I have ever seen. (relative pronoun, so the form may change)
  
  If you have never been taught basic grammar, you might find this book useful in drawing comparisons between English and German.

I recently got the book "German: How to Speak and Write It" by Dover & I really really enjoy reading it. It's a bit older but what sold me on buying it (aside from it's insanely cheap price) is its amount of great reviews. It has information about Germany on about every other page & reinforces the information learned with small exercises to do by yourself. It's about $10 & is seriously worth every penny :)

Should throw in that the book is older so the photos of Germany aren't up to date. Still doesn't take away from the interest, imo.

Any book written to prepare you for the DSH will have these exercises and more.

I took the DSH (and passed with a level 2) at my current Uni and it's considered one of the hardest to pass in Germany. So my opinion may differ slightly than other people's so take the following with a grain of salt:

I strongly suggest you work on your writing style and your grammar basics (especially endings and vocabulary). The best way to improve the former is to read copious amount of German texts, especially news from like Tagesshau. I mean, read this level of material until your eyes bleed. The DSH prep books will have tons of texts for your to read and reading comprehension exercises to solve, and additionally reading news articles or random internet articles for C1 will bolster your effort.

For the latter, use these series of books:

1. A2-B2
   
   
2. C1
   
   If you do intend on buying these, make sure to buy the Answer Book to correct yourself. Every single professor I ever encountered, used these books to some capacity to practice German grammar. Every. Single. One. I abused the hell out of mine, I'll tell you that. Not to mention, they are cheap for how effective they are.
   
   For a more in depth explanation(s) in English check out Hammer's German Grammar Bible. If it wasn't for this book, I would have been lost for much longer when it came to things like Passive.
   
   Good luck on your exam.

http://www.amazon.com/Enlarge-German-Vocabulary-Dover-Language/dp/0486230449

Not necessarily a dictionary, but this book gives a pretty decent breakdown of all sorts of prefixes and suffixes that get added to words in German, which makes it easier to know a lot of basic verbs and expand that list into a much richer lexicon.

This was perfect for me, for what you're describing. There's a bunch of these little books with different short stories in them.

I also like reading books I love in translated to German. I find novels I read as a teenager (so they're a bit easier, without being super young) really great to read in German, as I can use context to figure out any confusing bits.

When I first began learning German I relied heavily on Skype. I really believe that by talking with people who are natives you will really begin to get a feel for the language. I think using applications such as Duolingo, Pimsleur, AccelaStudy, Babble, and BYKI really do help teach you vocabulary (and you should absolutely continue using the ones you mentioned); there is no substitute with good 'ol fashioned communication. I used The Mixxer and SharedTalk to find natives to speak with.

I also used this book and this book. Although I'm sure any old grammar book would work just fine. If you want to practice I'm happy to help; even though, I can not offer the type of assistance that a native could.

Actually, practice makes perfect has a whole series of books. I like the "complete german grammar" book for starters. I may pick up the one that is preposition specific at some point.

Practice Makes Perfect Complete German Grammar (Practice Makes Perfect (McGraw-Hill)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071763600/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pruaCbWNK5EAA

This book of selected Grimm's Fairy Tales. Yes, I know--I was skeptical, too, when my wife gave it to me for Christmas. But it's now my favorite German-learning book.

1. The grammar is simple, even compared to Harry Potter.
   
   
2. The vocabulary is pretty simple, too, though it is a little bit dated.
   
   
3. Best of all, it has German on the left page and English on the right, so you save tons of time looking up unfamiliar words. Just a quick glance across!
   
   
4. The stories are metal. When dismembered corpses start falling down the chimney, you know you're not in Disneyland.

Here's a free online textbook (click on the "Kapitel Eins" etc thumbnails), with audio and video components.

Otherwise, I found this book to be very helpful – it's very information-dense and covers all the grammar tenses and such in a concise way, but is well organized. I found studying from it to be more useful than taking an actual German class, but of course you may feel differently.

If you are really concerned about saving money, your local library will likely have some books on the subject.

• Complete German Grammar
  
• German Vocabulary
  
• German Conversation
  
• German Sentence Builder
  
  These are the ones I own and think they are really good. I recommend that if you can find a good quality used version for cheap. I would get it. I rarely buy them brand new.

https://www.amazon.de/Grammatik-aktiv-Sprechen-Übungsgrammatik-Audio-CD/dp/306023972X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1551368733&sr=8-1&keywords=grammatik+aktiv A1- B1

https://www.amazon.de/Grammatik-aktiv-Sprechen-Übungsgrammatik-Audios/dp/3060214824/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1551368733&sr=8-2&keywords=grammatik+aktiv B2-C1

I own the 1st one and I really like it. It is helpfully structured with summary grammar explanations and then exercises. It is what my German teacher recommended for me . Take a look inside the book.

A... Ich habe danach gemerkt, dass du auf Deutsch geschrieben hast. Meine Deutschlehrerin hat mir diesem Buch empfohlen. Ich hoffe, dass es wird dir auch viel helfen, um Deutschgrammatik zu beherrschen. Schau ins Buch an!

My personal favourites are (German Grammar Drills by Ed Swick) and (Grammar Workbooks by Heiner Schenke and Karen Seago), not to forget (Intermediate German: A Grammar and Workbook by Heiner Schenke and Anna Miel). All are great book for practice and really fun exercises to do.

​

​

These books are pretty dumb, but do the job for A1-ish. Really, really simple sentence structures. Super short chapters. Lots of definitions at the end of each chapter.

https://www.amazon.de/Learn-German-Stories-Collectors-Beginners/dp/1511565276

https://www.amazon.com/Enlarge-German-Vocabulary-Dover-Language/dp/0486230449


This book, while a bit dated in its format, is an excellent tool for building a better understanding of prefixes and suffixes in German. It's cheap too, so it's easily worth the investment. Not going to link anything, but I'm sure a resourceful person could find a pdf of it too, if one were so inclined.

So many. There's a great book English Grammar for Students of Germen. English has so many words and a surprising number of tenses.

that's a fine point - textbooks do tend to assume the frequent availability of at least one other person.

so what OP looking for would probably be less of a textbook and more of a book aimed at the individual learner.

at my level it's difficult to find good no-cost stuff for self study (where "good" generally means "not so beginner it bores me and not so advanced i'm lost), for a beginner looking for two months' worth of learning material, i think that's available in the subreddit sidebar alone.

I haven't heard anything about Schaum's, but Hammer's is an excellent resource. There's also a companion workbook which is intended for self-study, and I think I'll be using that first in light of your insight.

edit - add link to hammer, clarity

Have you considered using Assimil as your textbook?

German with English translations, both literal and figurative, on the facing page. There are also some pretty detailed notes that help you pick up on grammar rules as you go along. The combination of the audio and the German text (which has phonetically spelled words as well) helps with learning to speak the language correctly as well.

Here is a random review. Which I haven't watched, but hey.

i have this and im very satisifed.

​

also swedish is indeed nice to know due to it sharing many similar words with german. (im swedish)

I've been using German Grammar Drills and German Verb Drills
Both are really good resources with plenty of practice. I think the verb drills book has an online component as well.

Hammer's German Grammar and Usage is excellent.

http://www.amazon.com/Hammers-German-Grammar-Usage-Fifth/dp/1444120166/

I use:

Starter Kit

• Living Language German
  
  Understanding Grammar
  
  
• [English Grammar for Students of German Learning]
  (https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-German-Learning/dp/0934034389/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1540389052&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=german+for+english+speakers&dpPl=1&dpID=41RAyW9uzAL&ref=plSrch)
  
  Verb overview with full conjugations and sample sentences
  
  
• 501 German Verbs
  
  Grammar exercises (this is great but in 100% German)
  
  
• Hueber dictionaries and study-aids: Schritte Ubungsgrammatik
  
  I have some online resources but prefer books. I also think these don’t „expire“ too soon and you can use them into A2. If you find used versions, it’s not too expensive.

Deutsche Wiederholungsgrammatik by Frank E. Donahue was what I used to review my German when I was off from university. Very comprehensive and worth the price, IMO.

Danke! I'll definitely look into it.

EDIT: Its this right? https://www.amazon.com/dp/2700517504/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

The following book is from B1 to somewhat beyond B2, so this is probably the right one for you. It explains things very clearly and has a large number of exercises.

Dreyer and Schmitt (2010): A Practice Grammar of German. Hueber Publisher.

See here, for example:
https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Grammar-German-New/dp/3193272558

I think it would really depend on what level of German you consider yourself. Are you looking to advance your grammar, or still learning the basics?
What I'm using right now is this. It talks in depth about the grammar in English, then has many useful exercises in German. Just know it's a review of grammar, not an introduction.

This series of books has really helped me with my German studies: Learn German with Stories: Dino lernt Deutsch Collector's Edition - Simple Short Stories for Beginners (1-4) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1511565276/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aUuVDbR0MCFRJ

The stories are pretty simple and all in German, with vocab lists and comprehension questions at the end of each chapter.

Hammer's German Grammar and Usage is comprehensive. Sometimes I find it perhaps even too comprehensive - I'll dive in to find an answer to some question that pops into my mind and not emerge till an hour later when I've finished reading just about every exception and caveat. But If you already understand the basics or you have a simpler grammar book as well, I've found that this is the one that answers every question I have, no matter have obscure or minor a point.

If English is your first language I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-German-Learning/dp/0934034389 (buy a used copy)

Children's books might be helpful in a way. I think with just duolingo you might be able to start tackling stuff like "german learning" books.
https://www.amazon.com/Learn-German-Stories-Berlin-Beginners/dp/1492399493

I own that book and it's very slow/simple. He also makes "choose your own adventure" books which I think are more difficult. I own one but haven't gotten into it yet.

There was also a post recently that had a bunch of resources in it https://www.reddit.com/r/German/comments/4symbk/82_german_youtube_channels_to_practice_listening/

You want to get a version that has the book plus audio. This is the newest one like that: http://www.amazon.com/Assimil-German-Ease-English-Speakers/dp/2700517504 There's another version called the German Super Pack which has the same audio on the CDs on an Mp3 CD as well, but that's not really necessary if you can just rip the CDs. Weirdly, the one with the extra Mp3 CD was cheaper at the time I was buying, so I got that one! (Note: at the moment they're using the same picture for both products, which is inaccurate -- the one I linked to doesn't include the Mp3 CD).

Highly recommended if you're willing to spend a few bucks (and if you're willing to put in hundreds of hours of your time this is a good investment)

http://www.amazon.com/Schaums-Outline-Grammar-Edition-Outlines/dp/0071824707

This might sound random, but here's what I did when I was in your shoes:

I purchased the Rutledge German Word Frequency Dictionary:
https://www.amazon.com/Frequency-Dictionary-German-Vocabulary-Dictionaries/dp/0415316332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494300946&sr=8-1&keywords=german+word+frequency+dictionary

Every day, I'd write out 20 sentences 3x and read them as I wrote. Did wonders for me....

As of right now I have, German Grammar Drills,Intermediate German Grammar, and German Pronouns and Prepositions. I plan on buying the rest sometime this mouth. I'm even going to get them in some other languages too.

Schaum's Outlines has exactly what you're looking for. They did wonders for my proficiency in the language. There's explanations of grammatical concepts (first book) or vocabulary (second book) followed by exercises, whose answers are in the back.

Viel Glück!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071824707?pc_redir=1408083361&robot_redir=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071615474/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1408491041&sr=8-6&pi=SL75

Lehr- Und Ubungsbuch Der Deutschen Grammatik by Dreyer Schmitt English Version

Search for "German Grammar Drills" by Mcgraw Hill. It's short, concise explanations and tons of exercises with an answer key. I worked with this book over the past few months leading up to my trip to Germanyou and it helped me a lot.

Edit: do the work for you.

German Grammar Drills (NTC Foreign Language) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071789456/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_LAgVzbQD3R66E

Ich kann diese Bücher empfehlen:

1. Duden (A1-B1) Lern- und Übungsgrammatik Deutsch als Fremdsprache: Verstehen, üben, testen mit den Duden-Trainern
   
   2.1) Cornelsen (A1-B1) Grammatik aktiv: A1-B1 - Üben, Hören, Sprechen: Übungsgrammatik mit Audio-CD
   
   2.2) Cornelsen (B2-C1) Grammatik aktiv: B2/C1 - Verstehen, Üben, Sprechen: Übungsgrammatik mit Audios

1. Grammar. Get a book which explains the grammar with exercises. I used this book. With your time frame, I think you should try to invest 2 hours each day.
   
   
2. Practice. Spend at least half an hour every day listening to German TV/news/radio/whatever. When you hear a word you don't know, pause the TV and look it up. Read a German newspaper or magazine every day.
   
   
3. Vocabulary. Install Anki on your phone. Use it whenever you have a couple of minutes to spare during the day. At any point when you're doing your exercises or practicing and you find a word you don't know, add it to your Anki deck so you are continuously practicing it.

English Grammar for Students of German

• a student-friendly, self-study grammar book in English
  
• it is often used as a supplement to structured courses by English speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-German-Stories-Berlin-Beginners/dp/1492399493

Here is the Brother's Grimm book that I have.

http://www.amazon.com/German-CD-ROM-Barrons-Foreign-Language/dp/0764193937/

Would this be the sort of thing you're looking for?

Title : English Grammar for Students of German: The Study Guide for Those Learning German
3rd Edition

Author : Cecile Zorach

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0934034389/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_HHpqDbBHPH31J

I have English Grammar for students of German. It's only US$18.

I'm not sure what reader is, but have you considered the following:

• Hammer's German Grammar and Usage
  
• Practising German Grammar
  
  Hammer's German Grammar and Usage is the definitive grammar reference, and the Practising German Grammar workbook is based on the grammar book.

Maybe a graded reader like Café in Berlin? Not free, but good materials can cost a couple bucks

Not at all.

It's modern, it's real, it's in English, it's no bullshit, no messing around.

There's so much nonsense talked about "immersion" and "diving in" by people for whom learning is a distant memory, or who want their achievement to remain mysterious and unattainable. This book, written in English, takes you by the hand, waves all the bullshit away and tells you straight, in plain language how it all works. It's not dry, and is honest about what's really used and what isn't and where.

I bought it on a whim, and being the owner of several other textbooks, was blown away. I've read it cover to cover twice now, it's full of "Ah.." moments. A total cheat-sheet of a book. Look at the reviews too, it's well worth getting a copy and ending the struggle.