So an entirely new hobby? I can relate, I just picked something entirely new up recently myself.
I think the key when learning new things is to internalize tiny pieces at a time. Morsels, like gum--something small you carry in your mouth everywhere and that you can just continually chew and chew and chew and chew and chew away at. Having to continually refer back to something you're learning is tiring and discouraging. Practice the pieces you've internalized, then play around with them once you start getting bored. Then check back on the references once in a while to make sure you're doing well. Having random drawing buddies help too.
Keep showing your work and keep getting feedback. If you start to feel a little discouraged or sluggish with your progress, getting someone to keep you accountable can be helpful so you can keep practicing and hence keep getting better.
References references, I keep mentioning references, try
this one. Check out Andrew Loomis'
Fun with a Pencil on that page. Around page 14 ish is a great place to start. It may not be the style (or gender, lol) that you're going for, but I think it's excellent for getting into the swing of things. The best way to draw is bottom up; quick, easy, nice consistency is the trick. You'll get better at each of those when you've done it often enough, but the best way to be consistent and stay consistent is to start bottom up, ie: with a framework, an undersketch. And it doesn't have to be spheres and cubes, personally I found those hard myself. I like circles a lot, and those pages in Andrew Loomis help you. Draw a circle-ish thing
here, draw one line
here, then plot a blobby-thing for an eye
here.
When I say consistent, I mean that you don't want to spend an hour drawing two things where one looks awesome, the other sucks and you can't figure out why. Having a framework of some sort helps with that, you can figure out what you did differently, how you plotted the elements on this most basic frame (like a circle, or a couple squares). You can adjust the relative distances, sizes, etc next time and see how it turns out. When you feel one works well, you'll remember it and your work will be consistent.
If referencing someone else's artwork, I'd suggest someone with very simple, clean, nice linework first. Avoid the complex, hair-strands-everywhere artists. If you're drawing anime-y, avoid the complex eyes too. All you need is a sideways pair of parenthesis hood with a circle inbetween. To be honest, I don't think it helps at all in the beginning because you're not adept enough to absorb the general aesthetics of the reference into your own style and it takes too long anyway, but sometimes it's helpful. And fun, I had lots of fun with that back in the day. Still took forever though. Also, if you're posting it, make sure you credit the original source. Oh, and remember that the point of copying or referencing someone else's work is to learn from it, not to just post it as some inferior version on DeviantArt.
As for tablets, some people apparently are more geared towards digital drawings, but I feel that you should hold off on that. The tablet isn't some magic wand that helps accelerate the learning of drawing. You should start with pencil and paper first. It's also more portable. I suggest you buy a big sketchbook to keep all your drawings in. Buy a small one and you'll often find your character's lower bodies being cut off; buy a big sketchbook. And then make a daily goal of filling in a page or two. Maybe start a 60 day improvement blog to keep yourself accountable.
Avoid How to Draw Anime books and their variants like the plague. If one touches you, burn your clothes and recite a thousand sutras. If you touch one, cut off that hand and I'll give you advice on drawing with your feet.
Above all, if you want to do something, do it now, start now. If you're not going to be an artist as a profession or living, you don't need talent, you just need to start now. Like right away. Get as much time in as you can. Good luck.