A little help here........

I feel the need of some photographic guidance and so after work I stopped in the local book store to see what would jump off the shelf and comfort me by giving me a hug and assuring me that the concept of total control of depth of field, white balance and lighting will someday be mine and that I am not a complete moron. However, no such thing happened. Instead I was confronted with a rather intimidating selection of books. So. I'll rely on any fellow blippers who might have a recommendation. I've had several people recommend a couple books by Bryan Peterson -- any thoughts?