Chess books are terrifying and I don't understand them

My situation: I just got into reading chess books I somewhat understand them but most of the time I skip through the notations and get to the part where it shows the current position is that a habit I should get rid of? should I visualize more although it is very hard and feels like a waste of time?. Also are chess books suppose to be read with only a board next to me following along or can I get to a point where I don't need one always next to me where I can just read the book by itself, anyways the question is "How should I read a chess book?", And will I get better at reading them the more I read them. And will a chess book and chess board always be a side by side thing because I read them while I am in school and don't want to pull out a chess board and a chess book and go total nerd mode in front of a bunch of people

I find having a small magnetic board (one that you can quickly hide to keep your coolness) while reading a chess book is optimal. Starting with the current position is like skipping the first 10 minutes of a tv show. You are missing how they got there.

I fully understand what your saying thanks but do you ever think I will hit the level where I wouldn't need a board or is it just a process where most people usually have one while reading a chess book, I obviously understand that will take a level of visualization but as I play chess I hope to improve that and hopefully get to that point if it's possible

I'm only a 1500 OTB rated player. If I don't use a magnetic board then I feel I am not understanding the reason for the moves. When reading a book, I try to guess the next move. Chess Life has great game and explanations for recent games.