Sorry for your loss, can’t imagine going through that.
You’ve got the right books, but practical application will make them 100% more useful. Find out what your local flight club provides. How many instructors they have, what their availability is, how long they’ve been there etc. Depending on your availability and schedule, you could knock out a private pilot’s license in 3-4 months, but that would be HEAVILY dependent on you flying/studying 4-5 days a week at times and having instructors that can do the same. Realistically, most people take almost a year to get their private. Knocking it out fast will solidify the knowledge more, and save you considerably financially.
Shop around for the flight school that suits you best.
Cheers,
PC