<CISSP Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, 4th Ed.by Shon Harris. This is much easier reading than the Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP CBK. One can actually have some fun preparing for the CISSP exam.

From the Back Cover:
It’s not a job. It’s THE job, and here’s how to get it.
What does your ideal IT security job look like? What will prospective employers expect you to know? What affects how they view you and your skills? What if you haven’t had much experience? What if you’re not 30 anymore?

Here’s the crash course in how to discover, apply for, and land the IT security job you want. Written by a squad of highly credentialed security professionals, this guide prepares you with the technical knowledge, interview skills, strategies, and job search techniques you need to find and get the perfect job.

Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction by Fred Piper is a must reading for anyone who wants to learn more about cryptography or just understand why cryptography is not for everyone and why the rest of us should stick to the knitting.