The discussion of fiction books! Please tag spoilers and follow instance rules.
Outside of fantasy, actually very far from it: « Consider the lobster » is a collection of essays on mundane stuff, highlighting the weirdness of everyday (or not really everyday) life, such as fairs and cruises and porn.
I loved it, it’s very reflexive - that some people find hard to read, others relaxing. If you think it might be your style, it’s absolutely worth a read !
Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. The best description I've ever heard is they are JRR Tolkien mets Mel Brooks. There are 41 books with multiple story lines but every book is written to be stand alone. Most are around 300 pages with plenty of good stopping points, making them easy to pick up and put down.
I read them in publication order, but there are multiple guides on recommended reading orders if you want to read specific story lines.
Cozy fantasy got you.
A common recommendation is Travis Baldree's "Legends & Lattes", or if you prefer a space setting, try "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" by Becky Chambers.
Even if they're not quite what you're looking for, they're definitely a tonal shift from epic fantasy to cleanse your palate before the next series.
Edit: you already received these recommendations in your cross-post, sorry.
Thank you! I've already ordered Legends & Lattes :)
Becky Chambers’ monk and robot series is also really cozy good reading!
Thank you, added this one to my list as well
Bobbiverse! Dennis E. Taylor.