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MicroserfsMicroserfs by Douglas Coupland
Buy used from: £0.01
Coupland's grasp of his subject matter (in this case computers, Microsoft, etc) is so solid it's astounding. This book is a pillar of emotional intellect.
Shampoo PlanetShampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £1.22
Probably the most simple of Coupland's chosen subject matters (middle-class teendom), but probably his most charming and innocent too.
Girlfriend in a ComaGirlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
Buy new: £2.85 / Used from: £0.01
A book for fans of Salinger and The Smiths. Beyond perfection.
Bright Young ThingsBright Young Things by Scarlett Thomas
Buy used from: £10.97
Vastly enjoyable, firghteningly realistic, and intensely keyed-into modern popular culture. The ending is astounding.
Going OutGoing Out by Scarlett Thomas
Buy used from: £4.34
As cutting edge as Bright Young Things, but even sharper and bolder. Unfair to compare directly to Coupland, but that zeitgeist feel is very aparent here.
After the QuakeAfter the Quake by Haruki Murakami
Buy new: £2.48 / Used from: £2.00
Cryptic, but not pretentious. Short stories, but long enough to tap into your emotions and make you feel intensely sad or elated, or whatever.
The RoomThe Room by Hubert Selby Jr
Buy new: £3.35 / Used from: £3.34
Words that could never be used to describe this book include pleasant, just, positive, or light. It may be dark, but it's realism is astounding.
One Fine Day in the Middle of the NightOne Fine Day in the Middle of the Night by Christopher Brookmyre
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01
A book with such a fantsatic feeling of nostalgia that you want to call up all your old school friends right after finishing it. Engrossingly entertaining.
The Fuck-upThe Fuck-up by Arthur Nersesian
Buy new: £2.96 / Used from: £0.48
Great little story. Just a tale of a normal loser, but with totally unpredictable situations.
The Music of ChanceThe Music of Chance by Paul Auster
Buy used from: £0.01
Auster is a continually excellent writer, but this one is especially well-written and entertaining. Brilliant little story.
Mr. PhillipsMr. Phillips by John Lanchester
Buy new: £2.28 / Used from: £0.01
A small work of genius. This is the story of Holden Caulfield if he had grown-up to be middle-aged in London.