For a very readable book on the recent crisis I recommend The Big Short, Michael Lewis: from an Amazon review:

Lewis writes a compelling narrative. It will increase your understanding of the financial shenanigans, and possibly deepen your cynicism about Wall Street. But you will find this story fascinating. It reads just as well as a good novel. Too bad it's not fiction.

For the politics: Profit Over People, Noam Chomsky; from a review by someone of about the same age:

Chomsky's Profit Over People is an insighful and at times shocking analysis of the true motives and practices of multinational corporations and the governement economic policies they operate within. Chomsky spares no time in hammering his message against the concentration of power in the hands of the few through the use of several detailed case studies. As a student of economics and finance at Oklahoma State University, this book caused me to step back and question the very foundation of Smith's free market theory which has comprised my studies thus far. As a reader, I became disgusted by the prospect of private interests having the ability to manipulate the world economy, government policy, and the subposively "free" press to serve their own greed-driven interests while watching the masses suffer.

The excellent: 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism, Ha-Joon Chang

in which he presents the mainstream views then tears them apart with convincing evidence.

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.