This is a fascinating post. One thing I've heard recommended for learning Latin -- after learning the basics -- is to jump straight into translating stuff from Latin into English with a Latin-to-English dictionary at your side.

There are lots of fiction books that have been Latined like Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, and the Hobbit. Get one of those and translate it back into English page by page. If you can do that, even with the help of a dictionary, you will be in a great position to read the classics and the vulgate and the medieval or renaissance works too.