One of my old colleagues, and one of the UK's most experienced financial journalists, Robert Cole, has just published a handy pocket-sized book stuffed with advice about investment that's both sensible and amusing: The Unwritten Laws of Finance and Investment. A rare combination in this genre.

Some of the headings offer basic economic insights, including “There's no such thing as a free lunch.” Some draw on findings from behavioural finance, such as the warning not to be tempted by gimmicky offers such as free air miles – which of us has not fallen for buying an extra pot of face cream to get the 'free gift' of samples, or bought a bar of chocolate at the till for £1 when we went into the store for a magazine?

The book's the ideal length for a tube journey and filled with common sense cover to cover. I'd pair it with John Kay's 2009 book, The Long and the Short of It. One gives the general principles in a completely painless way, the other more detail on how to. Between them, they provide a realistic and thorough guide to investment for non-experts.