I'm trying to make sense of this. 🤔
That's frightening. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was my answer. Except that I was the only person I knew who'd heard of it, just as I was the only person who'd heard of Doctor Who, Monty Python, etc. It wasn't really generation-spanning, so much as 'if you're a dweeb during this time period, this is what you're reading.' There were also the Choose Your Own Adventure books (never read any), and golden-era coked-out Stephen King. Also we read the AD&D game books for fun. Some people read Terry Pratchett (I hilariously refused to because I felt he was ripping off Douglas Adams) or those Callahan's books (bleagh, die). Did I mention I took a touch-typing class because I thought it was necessary for using a computer? this has become unexpectedly revealing