This page offers popular (non-academic) books that I found helpful in introducing basic economic concepts and ideas.
Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking (by D.Q. McInerny)
The first step before thinking is to get the rules of thinking right! Familiarity with logic rules helps you properly evaluate strong and weak arguments in all knowledge fields, including economics.
A History of Economics: The Past as the Present (by John Kenneth Galbraith)
Getting to know the historical origins of ideas makes them easier to digest.
New Ideas from Dead Economists: An Introduction to Modern Economic (by Todd G. Buchholz)
An excellent and enjoyable introduction to basic economic concepts.
The Money Illusion (by Irving Fisher)
An old book with a still relevant and simple message: people should think of money in real terms (i.e., taking the effect of inflation into account) rather than through the illusion of nominal terms.
Mastering 'Metrics: The Path from Cause to Effect (by Joshua D. Angrist and Jörn-Steffen Pischke)
A quick overview of the main methods of econometrics research, with a healthy amount of mathematical details.
Irrational Exuberance (by Robert J. Shiller)
An interesting investigation of the causes of asset bubbles and an argument against the idea of market efficiency.
This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly (by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff)
Good documentation of historical (and recurring) financial crises such as government debt defaults, banking panics, and hyperinflation.
The Limits of the Market: The Pendulum Between Government and Market (by Paul De Grauwe)
A simple comparison between the market and government roles in the economy. A Principles of Microeconomics course is enough to enjoy this book.
Capital in the Twenty First Century (by Thomas Piketty)
A well-known book on wealth and income inequality that also presents historical evidence. Read this book for an argument on why a rate of return on capital greater than the rate of economic growth (r>g) means more wealth inequality.
The Courage to Act: A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath (by Ben S. Bernanke)
A detailed description of the 2007-2009 financial crisis and the Federal Reserve's response. The writer is the chairman of the Fed during the crisis.