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The Culture novels are standalone novels set in the same universe (the only character that re-occurs in more than one book, I think, is Diziet Sma). The only caveat seems to be that the later books tend to assume that you've read the earlier ones and are au fait with the fictional universe. That said, I would not begin with Inversions or Look to Windward as these do rely on prior knowledge of the Culture to properly appreciate them.
Iain M Banks has also written books that are not set within the Culture. Against a Dark Background, Feersum Endjinn and the Algebraist are standalone novels. He's also written stuff as Iain Banks which can be classed as sci-fi or at the very least have an otherworldly feel. They are: The Bridge, Walking on Glass and Inversions.
His non-sci-fi stuff is also worth a look. The Crow Road and Espedair Street are particular favourites (the former was dramatised by BBC television and the latter was made into a serial by BBC Radio 4)
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