Ten Impressively Joyful Novels
(Books I admire for how bright they allow their brightness to be, and how much they make you feel it. Listed alphabetically by author.)
The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino
The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
The Pitcher Shower by Donald Harington
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Fair Play by Tove Jansson
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Adventures of a Dwergish Girl by Daniel Pinkwater
(And one additional recommendation: Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma, which is a manga series of (so far) fourteen volumes rather than a novel, but is one of the most joyful works of art I know.)
— January 23, 2021