What the HELL is HTML?

So I'm trying to figure out how to get people to read my blog without dropping to my knees and begging them.  So I got these two books from the bookstore ($65 later). One is Blogging All-In-One for Dummies, and the other is Increase your Web Traffic in a Weekend (or something like that.)  I have begun reading the one about increasing my web traffic, and I can't even get through the first chapter, because I feel like the biggest idiot!  In all  fairness, it DOES say that before you read the book, you should get a book about HTML and learn that concept first.  But I thought, "Heck, I'm of-sometimes-above average intelligence, so I should be able to just get through this book without knowing about HTML."  WRONG!  It's one of those situations where I'm reading it, and I have to re-read it so many times to try to make sense of it, that my mind begins to drift to anything BUT increasing my web traffic....What's for dinner?  What should I create next?  Wonder if I really should buy that replacement screen for my laptop on ebay?...You get the picture. So I say to myself, "I'm just going to read the blogging book.  Maybe it's a little more easy to understand.  So I start reading the blog book and my (self-diagnosed) adult ADD kicks in and I think, "What if I just look at other people's blogs and get some kind of inspiration to boost my wanting to write in my blog?"  So I get online, spend about an hour or two on etsy, looking at treasuries and checking my treasuries 3 or 4 times every fifteen minutes, just to get the sheer joy of seeing the number of views increase.  Then checking the Treasury list at the begining of the etsy site to see my hotness rating!  I'm thrilled to report, too, that for the first time EVER (at least that I'm aware), my treasury was on the first page of the hotness list.  (NOT the front page of etsy....oh no!  I don't know if that will EVER happen) But on the FIRST page of hottest treasuries!  I'm so excited.  So anyway, I'm going to try to make my blog more interesting by actually sharing my thoughts on it, as opposed to just shameless self promotion for my etsy shop.  Hopefully, SOMEONE will find me interesting enough to stop by once in a while.  Till then, I'll be reading my books and checking out everyone else's successful blogs!