I'm in a similar situation and hoping to buy some books that fit my needs...
Personally I understand that I don't understand the intricacies of reading rocks and soil or the best way to slide across a sharp rock on the correct skidplate... and this is after ~100 weekends, sitting passenger, exploring the desert.
I suspect lots of the folks on wayalife grew up watching and being around wheelers (OverlanderJK, tell me otherwise?
) Either way, there's a certain amount of osmosis learning going on watching others on the trail.
Being lucky enough to learn a lot from watching someone experienced my advice is the best thing you could do is find a mentor or club to help you (not) break your Jeep. (And read lots of books I hope!)