I would like to have a kind of basic understanding of Belarusian history- more than what my school and my family gave me, I mean. Whether it's a focused book or not, but anything pre Soviet Union and the World Wars preferably as I have zero background knowledge pretty much.
Like noted, the concept of Belarus as a state is rather modern (the idea of a separate Belarusian identity was only really created in the late 19th century). However for one that does encompass most of what you want, I'd suggest Timothy Snyder's The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999 (Yale University Press, 2003). Perhaps the latter half is about events from the 20th century (mainly the Second World War and how that affected the region), but it does look at the noted states from 1569, including the territory of modern Belarus.
Other than that, try looking for stuff about the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It controlled what is now Belarus for centuries, and as Belarus was largely seen as Lithuanian territory in that era, it would be included in books that deal with this topic. One particular book on the topic, albeit one that is heavily academic (and pricey), is Daniel Stone's The Polish-Lithuanian State, 1386-1795 (University of Washington Press, 2001). Part of a series on East Central Europe, it does a pretty good job of looking at the Commonwealth, and should be available at most university libraries.