For a good, entertaining background on crypto and crypto culture, including the cypherpunk movement out of which Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies emerged are:
- Steven Levy (2001). Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government – Saving Privacy in the Digital Age.
- Andy Greenberg (2012). This Machine Kills Secrets: Julian Assange, the Cypherpunks, and Their Fight to Empower Whistleblowers.
For a good, entertaining background on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies see:
- Nathaniel Popper (2015). Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money.
- Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey (2015). The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic.
If you want to get more serious with cryptography and cryptocurrencies dig into:
- Christof Paar and Jan Pelz (2009). Understanding Cryptography: A Textbook for Students and Practitioners.
- Arvind Narayanan et al. (2016): Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction.
For an explanation of what a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is and how it differs from commercial bank money and stablecoins:
- David Chaum, Christian Grothoff and Thomas Moser (2021). How to Issue a Central Bank Digital Currency. SNB Working Paper 2021-3.
- Christian Grothoff and Thomas Moser (2021). How to issue a privacy-preserving central bank digital currency. SUERF Policy Brief, No 114.
An effective blockchain hype antidote is:
- David Gerard (2017): Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum & Smart Contracts.