I’d be interested to see data on the topic! I can believe it’s possible; the rules of the road are made for cars. When biking, I rarely stop at stop signs because I’m already moving slowly and starting is harder on a bike. Even if it was true, I would see it as a function of a car-centric system.

YMMV but based on what you listed above, I’d recommend Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier. (Or if that doesn’t sound good, The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner or The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard.)

The Goblin Emperor is soooooo good. I’m a sucker for fealty in fiction so obviously I’m a big fan but also the hope and the growth and becoming the bridge builder!👌I like Witness for the Dead and sequels but I do sometimes daydream about a TGE sequel

The Light of Ystrac’s Woods is another novella with a cozy yet ominous atmosphere. It has great friendship and a depiction of fantasy religion that I really enjoyed. In fact, I think I’m about due for a reread.

Howl’s Moving Castle brought me out of reading slump is and is just such a lovely reading experience. It plays with the experience of being limited by self-narrative and equally with being freed from it. It’s incredibly funny and is also an iconic romance to me.

Ancillary Justice does some great things looking at gender and culture and empire while also being about relationships and people and loyalty. (Are you seeing a theme here?)

All Systems Red has sold very well, but just in case: it’s a sci-fi novella about moaning and groaning and doing the right thing anyway, and also about personhood and the comfort and support of being a fan <3 Lovely tight pacing and lovable characters.

The Hands of the Emperor is a long treatise on friendship, loyalty, and the value of working for the common and ordinary good. It’s very much cozy fantasy with an intense emotional tone but little in the way of traditional plot. I love books that are unusual (also see: Too Like the Lightning)