I haven’t read all of Iain M. Banks The Culture series, but I highly recommend Use of Weapons. I’ve read it three times, and it gets better each time.
It’s not a bad introduction to The Culture, but please feel free to recommend another novel to start with, or your favourite. I’ve read this, Look to Windward, Consider Phlebas, and The Player of Games. As I recall, Look to Windward has some good descriptions of a large Culture ship.
I’d also love to hear your favourite ship name.
Edit: I see I added The to the title…
Memorability per se does not interest me. I have read all the Culture novels and like them for the immersive experience and story telling, but I have since forgotten most of the plots and characters. So what? I can always read them again.
If the book is interesting, I will remember something - good world building, plot twists, interesting characters or ideas, atmosphere, how the book made me feel… But from the culture books there wasn’t much worth remembering. The feeling I have associated with reading it is “meh”.