user-1: I have a bunch of chess books that have been given to me on my favorite openings. I usually try to do a few games from them after I play my daily games and go over how I could improve with a chess engine. 
However I feel like I am not getting the most from the books, and my coach hasn't really helped me yet understand how best to use them. Keep in mind I'm still a beginner, I'm hovering in the 800-900 range.
It comes down to I think a few things I don't get:

Many books I have just jump straight into games and talk about this or that variation, or another game, or their thoughts on the move. None of them discuss the ideas behind why those moves are good ideas, which I think is key in helping me understand. For example I watched a video of Karpov explaining some stuff on the Queens gambit that fundamentally improved my play because I was told the motivation behind the ideas. 
I only have one program or chessboard available to me at any given time. Most books talk about variations in the middle of discussing a mainline. This is hard for me because I follow that line, then have to reset my board to follow the mainline until the next variation. 

How do you guys handle these two problems? I feel like it's just like math. Once I learned to read a math text I got so much more out of it and became better. I think I can greatly improve my performance by understanding how to study a chess book effectively. 

user1816: You can use software like Droidfish (on Android) or SCID vs PC to record multiple variations without losing your place. Another upside of this is that you can then store the variations as a PGN for later study and/or practice with a PGN player like iChess.

user14815: 
Keep in mind I'm still a beginner, I'm hovering in the 800-900 range.

Do not read any opening book. Rather concentrate on tactics. For this I wold recommend for example the book "Learn chess tactics" from John Nunn.
Just an example there are many similar books that are good to, but this is the only one I know. Simple tactics do not have many deep variants so this problem would be solved too.
For the opening I would recommend just to consider the following: Save your King (do not get mated early), develop pieces, occupy the center. If your level has improved and your opponents do not fail on simple tactics, than you can go and learn deep opening variants.
Furthermore I wold recommend long calculation time (at the very least 15 minutes better is much more like 2h or even daily chess), so that you are able to calculate the tactics deep enough.

user4418: 
None of them discuss the ideas behind why those moves are good ideas,
  which I think is key in helping me understand

That's correct, the explanations are key. Opening books that don't give the ideas behind the moves along with typical middlegame plans are almost worthless. You might as well throw them away. If they don't give much more than just the moves and evaluations then you would be better off with one of the many databases.

Most books talk about variations in the middle of discussing a
  mainline. This is hard for me because I follow that line, then have to
  reset my board to follow the mainline until the next variation.

That's very conscientious of you. Most of us would follow the variation in our heads partly because we can but mostly because we are lazy. Once you get good you will be able to do this too. If you become very good indeed then you will be able to play the whole game in your head.

-1: <p>I have a bunch of chess books that have been given to me on my favorite openings. I usually try to do a few games from them after I play my daily games and go over how I could improve with a chess engine. </p>

<p>However I feel like I am not getting the most from the books, and my coach hasn't really helped me yet understand how best to use them. Keep in mind I'm still a beginner, I'm hovering in the 800-900 range.</p>

<p>It comes down to I think a few things I don't get:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Many books I have just jump straight into games and talk about this or that variation, or another game, or their thoughts on the move. None of them discuss the ideas behind why those moves are good ideas, which I think is key in helping me understand. For example I watched a video of Karpov explaining some stuff on the Queens gambit that fundamentally improved my play because I was told the motivation behind the ideas. </p></li>
<li><p>I only have one program or chessboard available to me at any given time. Most books talk about variations <em>in the middle of discussing a mainline</em>. This is hard for me because I follow that line, then have to reset my board to follow the mainline until the next variation. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>How do you guys handle these two problems? I feel like it's just like math. Once I learned to read a math text I got so much more out of it and became better. I think I can greatly improve my performance by understanding how to study a chess book effectively. </p>
 1816: <p>You can use software like <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.petero.droidfish&amp;hl=en_GB" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Droidfish</a> (on Android) or <a href="http://scidvspc.sourceforge.net/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SCID vs PC</a> to record multiple variations without losing your place. Another upside of this is that you can then store the variations as a PGN for later study and/or practice with a PGN player like <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pereira.ichess&amp;hl=en_GB" rel="nofollow noreferrer">iChess</a>.</p>
 14815: <blockquote>
  <p>Keep in mind I'm still a beginner, I'm hovering in the 800-900 range.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Do not read any opening book. Rather concentrate on tactics. For this I wold recommend for example the book "Learn chess tactics" from John Nunn.
Just an example there are many similar books that are good to, but this is the only one I know. Simple tactics do not have many deep variants so this problem would be solved too.
For the opening I would recommend just to consider the following: Save your King (do not get mated early), develop pieces, occupy the center. If your level has improved and your opponents do not fail on simple tactics, than you can go and learn deep opening variants.
Furthermore I wold recommend long calculation time (at the very least 15 minutes better is much more like 2h or even daily chess), so that you are able to calculate the tactics deep enough.</p>
 4418: <blockquote>
  <p>None of them discuss the ideas behind why those moves are good ideas,
  which I think is key in helping me understand</p>
</blockquote>

<p>That's correct, the explanations are key. Opening books that don't give the ideas behind the moves along with typical middlegame plans are almost worthless. You might as well throw them away. If they don't give much more than just the moves and evaluations then you would be better off with one of the many databases.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Most books talk about variations in the middle of discussing a
  mainline. This is hard for me because I follow that line, then have to
  reset my board to follow the mainline until the next variation.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>That's very conscientious of you. Most of us would follow the variation in our heads partly because we can but mostly because we are lazy. Once you get good you will be able to do this too. If you become very good indeed then you will be able to play the whole game in your head.</p>
