Chess books and study

I'm looking to study the game.

Any reading suggestions on taking it to the next level?  

These books may have their ups and downs but a few books you could consider looking at are Silman's how to reassess your chess and his endgame book. Bobby Fischer's 60 most memorable games can help you analyze and Yusupov's series could help fill in any gaps and strengthen your foundation. It all depends on what you want to improve on first.

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell

You are absolutely correct!

The problem for many beginner-novice players is that they act on a book recommendation from another person, buying the book on faith that it will be useful, only to discover that the book is not helpful or too difficult for them, typically because they were not sufficiently prepared for the level at which the material in the book is presented.  As an analogy, the reader is attempting to read a book on algebra, when (s)he has not yet mastered arithmetic. 

The point is that even though one person may find a particular book useful, another, less knowledgeable or experienced player may find that same book to be over their head.  Just like school subjects, one has to prepare oneself for the level of material which you are about to learn.

In my blog article below, I've made an attempt to recommend books in a specific order such that the earlier recommendations serve as preparation, prerequisites, for the later recommended books.  You will notice that both Silman's The Amateur's Mind and How To Reassess Your Chess appear further down in their respective lists.  Not because they are not good or useful books.  They are - for the appropriate level of readership.  One can expect to experience difficulty with either of these books without first having learned or at least been exposed to the preparatory material in the books recommended earlier in the list.  Learn to walk before attempting to run!

Good Positional Chess, Planning & Strategy Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/introduction-to-positional-chess-planning-strategy