Two suggestions, which both may be obvious --
Find a player you like, get an annotated collection of some of their games, and play through them while reading the notes.
If you haven't read Predator at the Chessboard 1 & 2, get them from lulu.com, or use google.
Sounds like you are new to the great game. Here are my suggestions:
1.) Study 2 openings with white and black. This obviously is based on your preferences. MCO is something that will be useful down the road.
2.) For tactics id suggest Susan Polgers book Chess Tactics For Champions. Also the software CT-ART 3 is a very wise investment.
3. Lev Alburts books will be very useful
4.) Pretty much anything by Jeremy Silman
perhaps the path i could recommend you is that taken by the russian chess school: they study the endgame first(which includes simple positions;yes, the time you'll be wasting on this subject is of paramount importance), then tactics, then strategy(simply planning in the middlegame) and lastly the opening. the idea of studying chess 'backwards' may seem odd at first, but i guess it's the most effective way of learning it, as the number of Russian GMs may attest.
for starters, i recommend shereshevsky's two volumes on the endgame which arise from the openings, and keres's practical chess endings.
for tactics, try polgar's book. then solve chess puzzles from magazines(better if they look like taken from actual games) and against your opponent, of course. further, consider David Lemoir's Essential Chess Sacrifices and Vukovic's Art of Attack and study the games of the attackers (Alekhine, Tal, Fischer, Shirov, and Kasparov).
for strategy, pachman's three volumes on it are excellent.
for the opening, choose what opening gives you the middlegame positions you're comfortable with. yes, the opening should be conducted with a mind on the middlegame, and the middlegame conducted with a mind on what endgame will arise thence.
i hope this could help.
Yes, mauimifs, that helped a lot! Now I have a general order with which to organize my thoughts on chess study! Thank you!
I have The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Chess Tactics for Students and Logical Chess: Move by Move.
For the next step of my Chess development, I thought that I would pick up an Opening book, an Endgame book and a Tactics book. Here were my ideas:
Modern Chess Openings
Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge
I have no idea on a Tactics book. I would like help with a recommendation here.
So, am I setting myself on the right path? What books/subject should I focus on? As a Novice just starting in tournaments, should I develop a basic opening repertoire or wait? Are Endgames and Tactics more important? Should I even waste time on Engames right now?
I'm totally lost, and I would really appreciate some help from any players better than me. Thank you!