I think its the only way to go, the tranny and motor together. If you have a manual, you MIGHT be able to pull the motor only, but not with an auto. The motor and trans are hard to separate via the torque-converter to flexplate bolts.
You can do it with or without the book I think. It helps to figure out how to remove the axles. On my '91 corolla (similar vintage) there were 5 mounts: front, rear, left, right, and under the bottom. What a you-know-what!!
Have lots of fun!!