Looking for books about alien races that don’t involve tons of fighting/wars and hard science

I have been on a big sci-fi kick recently and have read a lot of alien related books. I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary, The Bobiverse (specifically the parts about locating alien planets), Arrival, etc. I didn’t particularly enjoy Hitchhikers Guide, despite typically being more interested in comedic takes.

I have found that so many books along these lines are focused on intergalactic wars, fighting, and long drawn out of the science behind what they are doing. I’m more interested in interacting with the species, or having some kind of oversight, and things like that.