I recommend this one.

Just kidding. Mostly, I'm bored.

Start here.

Follow with.

Actually, forget that I got all snarky. Read anything by JK Galbraith (who just died), or his son Jamie.

Its not just economics but I liked Freakonomics quite alot. But that's not boring econ. Sorry.

Yeah, I've had Freakonomics on my to-read list for a long time now, but I'm looking for drier background reading, really.

Po Bronson's Bombardiers.

When Genius Failed, by Roger Lowenstein.

Both good, neither boring, nor exactly what you seek -- also try Willam Gaddis' JR.

I did some looking around in this dept myself some time ago, but all I ended up reading was a book that's at the intersection of economics, public/foreign policy, etc. Stiglitz's Globalization and its Discontents. At the time there were a number of books that I put in my wishlist, these are the three I remember, I haven't read them but would at least recommend looking into to see if they're what you're interested in (for the generalist/popularization of academic work, etc.):

Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science by Charles Wheelan

New Ideas from Dead Economists : Revised Edition by Martin Feldstein

Armchair Economist: Economics And Everyday Experience by Steven Landsburg

And, to follow up on mudpuppie, my partner loves John Kenneth Galbraith. After reading his bio, she read read a couple of his books and recommended them to me. Of course, I didn't read them, but that's typical. :)

I saw this book in the store yesterday, it looked short and accessible. Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science (Paperback) by Charles Wheelan.