Are there any good resources/books to read? Any advice on getting an unbiased [within reason] chronological timeline? Any advice in general?
Unfortunately, there is no one book or resource that can encapsulate the incredibly diverse and variegated history of Russia. To get something approaching a full read, one should read multiple books and articles. One of the better ways online to find out which books to read is to examine the reading lists produced for PhD qualifying exams. Some history departments save themselves the trouble of having the candidates come up with their own lists and publish their own masterlist of reading materials.
One of the more useful guides for navigating the masses of books on Russian/Soviet history is UIUC's reading list for PhD exams. Although it does not incorporate scholarship after 2007, the list is very thorough and organized with key texts highlighted by an asterisk.
Like kieslowskifan said, it's difficult to get a full read from any one book, but you could always check some of my suggestions here.