RiderOfGiraffes

I took that at face value, and tried to find a manual for how to interact positively with others, and I found H2WF&IP. I treated it like a text book, and it changed my life completely. I was happier, more able to be sociable, and I could get along with people. Now, after a further 30 or more years, I can still see the book's influence as I negotiate deals, manage employees, broker agreements, and generally "do stuff." It's now out-of-date, but if you can make the effort to read it in the context it was written, and to ignore the obvious anachronisms, it's still valuable. The more recent versions try to be more up-to-date, but they lose something as far as I can tell, and I return to the original.

Consider also "Snow Crash"

I'm a huge Pratchett fan. I especially like the Watch novels, but every one of them has its merits.

Anything by Terry Pratchett. There are a lot of books

Also enjoyed "The player of Games" by Iain M Banks.

I personally loved "Guards! Guards!" and would recommend it.