I'd start with Sam Halabi's Internet Routing Architectures book.
In a similar note, I Do care about networks and the like but fail to fully understand the extensive details of how it all works. I do not proclaim myself to be an engineer and try to stick with what I do well. I read rfc, wikipedia, etc but just don't know what /to/ read. I had never heard of iBGP, OSPF, IS-IS untill today. What I need, and I'm sure quite a few others who listen to this list for insight, is a good reference to pick up and read that will cover said topics and beyond. I finally got the basic concept to CIDRs and how they work thanks to this list and Google.
I know this message is slightly off topic from NANOG, but kinda fits in response to parent and am hoping not to get flamed.
Any suggestions?
A Padawan, Mark Owen