Another suggest me a book thread (but this one is different)

[Eridanis]

You might enjoy some of Guy Gavriel Kay's books. TIGANA would be right up your alley, and his Fionavar Tapestry, starting with The Summer Tree, would also fit your tastes, I think.

I love Hobb's books, but you may not want to read the other two trilogies; not because Fitz is an assassin (in the same way Hamlet is an assassin), but for everything he goes through...

I'd also recommend WINTER'S TALE by Mark Helprin. Probably my all-time favorite novel, and one of the most uplifting books I know.

 

[Mark Hope]

You might enjoy some of Guy Gavriel Kay's books. TIGANA would be right up your alley, and his Fionavar Tapestry, starting with The Summer Tree, would also fit your tastes, I think.

I'll second Tigana. A fantastic book, stand-alone, and with a wonderful story and ideas.

The Fionavar Tapestry is also excellent, and generally very uplifting. However, there is a scene (at the end of the first book, iirc) that reduced me to tears and is quite shocking. Don't want to spoil it, because it really is an important part of the story and wholly appropriate to the larger picture. And very powerfully written. But a real gut-punch all the same.

Still recommend it though!

 

[Remathilis]

There's always THE HOBBIT, which is fairly upbeat.

 

[Mark]

There's always THE HOBBIT, which is fairly upbeat.

Amazing it wasn't suggested by someone upthread.

 

[FireLance]

For lighthearted and lightweight fantasy reading where nothing really bad happens to the protagonists, I would also suggest the Belgariad and the sequel series, the Malloreon, by David Eddings.

 

[WayneLigon]

The Ethshar books by Lawrence Watt Evans are mostly upbeat, with little in the way of really crude violence or such. I'd especially recommend Ithanalin's Restoration. It's a cute book with an apprentice trying all manner of things to restore her master after a miscast spell puts parts of his mind into the furniture. Furniture that can now move.

The characters in most of the books go through trials and such, but nothing really cruel or heartbreaking unless I'm misremembering.