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A really great, extremely readable book on the sub-prime mortgage crisis that led to the global financial crisis of '07. As you read it your blood will boil and you will realise that money can buy you anything and it most definitely does make the world go round. Give this book a read and become more informed about who is doing what with your hard earned money.

Michael Lewis's classic 'Liar's Poker' was the book that might have brought about the collapse of the 80's financial system, as it highlighted the greed and dishonesty that underpinned the world of investment banking. Instead, it became largely a quaint footnote as the industry went from strength to strength, creating billions of dollars and many multimillionaire bankers. In The Big Short Lewis documents the collapse of the world financial system up to 2008. The story is simply unbelieveable. The banking system created a series of financial instruments that were more and more unrelated to reality and allowed matters to spiral out of control until finally and inevitably everything collapsed. Only massive government intervention prevented catastrophe. Lewis tells the tale in a compelling style focusing on a few key players in the drama. He even manages to make the hugely complex financial shenanigans comprehensible. The postcript to this tale is that the banks and bankers survived, indeed thrived, following the government rescue, and showed no great contrition. Although for many, the problem was ignorance, not greed, it's a hugely depressing conclusion to what is a gripping read that will frequently leave you shaking your head in astonishment.