Most programmers write code that other people have to read, maintain, or extend at some point. If you write repetitive, shitty code, you may be qualified to write some useful programs for yourself, or write a web app that doesn't have to support too many users -- which are valuable skills -- but it is not fine for the majority of programming jobs. Incidentally, given that you can do what you described, I'm also pretty sure you could get through those three books if you tried; they are not rocket surgery.