I read The Little Book That Beats the Market but found that way 'too airy' as you say. I've found Phil Town's Rule #1 Investing strategy to be something easy to follow for even the most new of investors.
The Rule #1 book provides an easy to follow methodology based on Warren Buffet's method of valuing companies and determining whether they are currently trading below 'sticker price' with a built in margin of safety. My first efforts of paper-trading using this methodology have produced a 17% return. You can find more Rule #1 investing information at
Rule 1 Numbers.