If you want to read a great book on economics (and human life) try Ludwig von Mises’ Human Action: A Treatise on Economics.
A free PDF copy of the scholar’s edition can be downloaded at the Ludwig von Mises Institute’s website at http://mises.org/resources/3250 (click on the “Scholar’s Edition” hyperlink).
Part I of the book is a great read even if you’re not interested in economics but just intellectually curious.
Also, you may find this book titled Mises Made Easier by Percy L. Greaves, Jr. helpful as it defines a lot of the references and terms in the book: http://mises.org/easier/easier.asp.
Human Action is massive and filled with a wealth of knowledge but for those wanting immediate gratification go to pages 581-598 in the PDF file/pages 545-562 of the paper version.
There you’ll find an explanation of how the United States’ recent “housing bubble” was created, why it crashed, and by inference, why our current monetary policy (federal funds rates close to 0) will not solve our economic problems at a fundamental level.
