To add my two cents...
Knowing how to use a periodic table, not just look at it say H that's Hydrogen. To understand what the position of an element means can really speed things up (electron configuration, how reactive it is in general, valence electrons, metal/nonmetal/metalloid, some general physical and chemical properties).
Enahs probably has the best solution though. A good general chemistry book is plenty enough to get you started. It should have all the basic types of bonds and forces, electron configurations, maybe a chapter on the periodic table, stoichiometry, basic laws, atomic structure, some acid/base stuff, and probably a brief intro to organic chemistry.