Novels for guys in their 20s

Okay, I'm not entirely sure where to post this... My question is, what genre would you call fiction about/for guys in their 20s? I guess, rather broadly, I'm talking about the guy version of chick-lit (or my understanding of chick-lit): generally a 1st person POV about their life, relationships, work etc. Is there a specific genre for this? Guy-lit?

And then... What books in this 'genre' would you recommend? I know it is a lot more than just 'guy-lit' but I'm nearly finished Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and it has blown me away. Sure some of it is just plain weird, but I find myself relating to certain things the main character does etc and the writing is superb.

David

I know almost nothing about this genre or even what it would be called, unless considering male-dominated literature across several genres. I would suggest (only because I have experience in a nationwide Canadian bookstore chain) anything by popular male action or mystery writers. My younger male customers seemed to enjoy Stephen King (can't remember titles to give examples) or James Patterson. The teenaged guys and occasionally some middle aged men who frequented the store always crowded the fiction section, which I know even less about. I know I wasn't particularly helpful or detailed, but maybe it'll give you some inspiration all the same.

Excuse me, fantasy section*

I love haruki murakami! though I'm a female in her late twenties. He does have a number of other books published in english. Kafka on the shore was really good. He also has an autobiography out that talks about how he began writing and running (long distance) and how they are entertwined-because both require discipline more than just raw talent-which is great for inspiration. There's no specific name in english for this genre and it tends to fall under just plain literature.
Best bet might be to just go to amazon enter the book and then see what other customers bought/viewed.

Jim Butcher's Dresdon Files. Modern Urban Fantasy Murder Mystery Series.

It was everything I wanted back when I was 16-20. I found it when I was 25. I still love it.

Name of the Wind is a good one,

the Scott Pilgrim books. I have had no less than four girls tell me that it is WAY too boyish for them to enjoy.

Most guys I know are fantasy/sci-fi fans. But I know a lot of geeks, being one myself, so I don't know if that counts.

I do believe exohrina and I work at the same "nationwide Canadian bookstore chain", so here are a few titles I've noticed 20-something guys buying:

George R.R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (now five books long) has been popular with this age group. Another series that comes to mind is The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks (he's also started another trilogy called The Lightbringer). As previously mentioned, Stephen King is quite popular, more specifically his Dark Tower series, as well as more recent novels like Full Dark No Stars and Under the Dome. Chuck Palahniuk (who's one of my favourite authors) is often picked up, too. These titles include: Pygmy, Survivor, Choke and Fight Club.

Finally, I am a HUGE Murakami fan, so I also recommend you check out his other books. If you think Norwegian Wood is weird, then you'll find the following even stranger: A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance Dance Dance (a kinda-sorta sequel to Sheep Chase) and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (such a brilliantly written novel).

Clearly, the phrase "Bro-reads" Needs to catch on.

I've seen a lot of articles about man-books on the blog 'the art of manliness,' which is a good read in itself. want to learn how to take care of a pregnant wife, cook dinner, choose whiskeys, find good 'Bro-reads', and punch a guy out? that's the place!

I think we need a "Bro Reads" category, haha. Definitely.

Mine is about a 22-year-old guy, but I threw it in Young Adult because of the coming-of-age theme to it. And a hint of romance, I think it fits there better than literary fiction.

I just saw all these amazing replies! Thanks for all your suggestions :)

I successfully completed my bro-read novel! Oh, and in the process of finding a genre I discovered some people use a pun on chick-lit that is a little too rude to reproduce here... Eek!

The Beach by Alex Garland comes to mind--and, of course, early Hemingway for the genre archetype.

(And, yeah, I've heard that pun, too.)