Some books that should provide hours of fun:
See if you can get hold of Norton's Star Atlas, preferably the older editions, For each map it provides and nice "short list" of the brighter gems in the sky, easy for a beginner to hunt down and learn. If you devour all of that in a year you are doing well.
Then graduate to:
a) an essential atlas in everyone's kit for decades: Sky Atlas 2000, or
b) this:
http://www.amazon.com/Hartungs-Astro.../dp/0521554918
If you have an iPhone or iPad, try StarMap Pro.