Using 'mono' with verb forms

I have a question for when using the word 'mono'. I'm about to take Japanese classes for the first time but before I do I'm going through the workbook they've already given us just to give myself a kick start. I came to a lesson about using the word 'mono' where the author seems to be combining verbs in their Base 3 'u' verb form to create nouns. My question came when trying to create the word for 'food'. I was taught that the 'food' was tabemono, however in the text it says food is 'taberumono' (at least I think that's what it's saying, since the whole book is in Hiragana). Simarly with 'nomumono' (which I originally learnt as 'nomimono'), norumono, tsukaumono, mirumono, and yomumono.

When I do a Google search for all those nouns (which have been created using Base 3 verbs) it comes up with virtually nothing.

I understand that 'mono' is the word for 'thing'. So would the words in the text more accurately translate to eating thing, drinking thing, reading thing, rather than food, drink, or book/magazine, respectively?

Or is this book teaching me strange Japanese?

Cheers,

Bucko

PS. I've only been learning Japanese for a few months and this is my first post so please be nice

>I understand that 'mono' is the word for 'thing'. So would the words in the text more >accurately translate to eating thing, drinking thing, reading thing, rather than food, >drink, or book/magazine, respectively?

I think you've pretty much hit it dead-on. Nomumono would probably be translated to "stuff for the act of drinking", and Taberumono would similarly be "stuff for the act of eating". However, Tabemono/Nomimono are used much common, as they really denote "food/drinks" respectively.

And also, there are other usages of monos too. I won't get into the details here since the other usages are normally not learned within the first year. But anyway, the most common other usage of mono besides having the meaning of "stuff" is the usage of mono as "because".