Sci-fi/Fantasy books to get better at writing

Hello, first time posting here so apologies for any mistakes.

What I'm looking for is a fairly lighthearted but still engaging story/stories just so I can get a better grip on scene-writing and pacing.

I have a pretty good margin for what I believe I like. The most recent books I've read are The Martian and Project Hail Mary and I loved every second of them. I'm currently on the 4th book of the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I feel that all these books have had a big influence on how I write dialogue.

I've also read Becky Chamber's A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and Close and Common Orbits. While I loved those and the world building, I always felt a little depressed at the end even if the book had an overall happy ending.

In terms of my tolerance for angst, Hyperion is my current limit. I got a good ways through the book and loved every bit of it, but then I got to I think the Scholar's story and I had to put the book down. That chapter broke me.

So now I'm looking for a grounded, lighthearted but still a little intense book to sink my teeth into. Sci-fi is my favourite but medieval/urban fantasy is still welcome since that's what I'm trying to write these days.

I welcome any and all suggestions.

Oh! I'm also not the biggest fan of YA novels. I tried reading Renegades and put the book down after a few pages.