The ancient art of the Numerati provides insight into basic datamining techniques for beginners wishing to immerse themselves in the field using practical examples.
This book is the best book I ever found in Data analysis.
The author explains STEP-BY-STEP how the algorithms work, he goes way beyond using an api to classify and predict data and results. Even if you are not an expert in math, he has such incredible didactic skills that if you know the basics you can understand complex formulas.
You will develop the algorithms from the ground, understand how it works and be able to compare the results.