For a beginner, it's hard to do better than Mankiw. His intro book is very well written and is an easy read as far as textbooks go. http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Microeconomics-5th-Gregory-Mankiw/dp/0324589980/ref=la_B001H6Q104_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1354617926&sr=1-5

For an even gentler introduction, Economics for Dummies is excellent http://www.amazon.com/Economics-Dummies-Sean-Masaki-Flynn/dp/0470879483/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354617981&sr=8-1&keywords=economics+for+dummies. I'm not usually a big fan of 'for dummies' books, but this one is head and shoulders above the rest.