You've got that boxing manual somewhere... But first, you've got something you want to try. "Options."
There was that one option... 'Book Devour'. You hadn't known what it could mean at the time- Books weren't for eating, as you'd discovered at an early age- But now, you're thinking that it probably has something to do with how your book had disappeared.
What you want to know is simple- Does turning that option off make it so that you can't 'Eat' the books for their knowledge, or does it stop the book from being 'Consumed' when you learn from it? You turn the option 'Off', so that you can test it...
[For clever planning, you have gained 1 WIS]
You grin. If thinking smart makes you smarter, and you can use those smarts to come up with even smarter plans, then soon enough you'll be the smartest guy who ever did smart!
You shake off that tangent, and start digging through your books. It takes you a few moments to find the boxing manual, and as you lift it up, an icon rises-
[You have obtained the skill book, "The Beginners Guide to Better Boxing"]
[Would you like to learn this skill? Y/N]
Grinning, you press down on the 'Y' button. There wasn't any rush of knowledge, but you weren't expecting it after the chemistry book didn't give you one either.
[You have learned Boxing LV1.00]
[The 'Sweet Science' of Western unarmed combat]
...
Boxing is science!? Why does nobody tell you these things? You suddenly have a lot more respect for men in unmarked white lab coats.
Still, you think as you look at the book still firmly in your hands, you have answered the question of whether or not you can learn without destroying books. Since you don't have to worry about books disappearing any more, well, there are a lot of books you think should be able to be used for this.
Down in the living room, there is a bookshelf with all sorts of books- Ones which Daddy never actually reads as far as you can tell, but keeps around to impress dinner guests. A few of them are on engineering subjects, and those are the ones you think are most likely to be something you'll get something from.
[You have obtained the skill book, "To Engineer is Human"]
[Would you like to learn this skill? Y/N]
[You have learned Engineering LV1.00]
[A skill for understanding the principles of structure and design]
You reach for the next book, and frown.
[You have already learned this skill]
Well, darn. There goes your idea of just finding all the books on a subject and absorbing the knowledge to get a bunch of levels quickly. Well, maybe you can still level up the skill by reading them? But that's not something you want to experiment with now.
Moving to the kitchen, you notice that Mommy is busy cooking. Fortunately, there's not going to be any sign of anything wrong- You'll just pick up a cookbook, get the skill, and then leave-
"Duddey-darling, is everything all right? I thought you were going to play your new games?"
[] Darn it- Think fast... [write in excuse]