A couple of months ago I reviewed a WONDERFUL book, The Lumby Lines also by Fraser. I was blessed to receive the rest of the books from the publisher to do a review of the complete series, so far!
I've read 2 of the 3 books and wanted to share them with you!
First let me explain about Lumby.
I mean that in the most honest sense of the word! When I pick up one of the Lumby books, I am immediately transported to a place I WISH I could call home. The setting is idylic, the townsfolk quirky but wonderful and nothing too far amiss goes on. And even if it does, it always works out in the end... SIGH....it's like Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls, once you've experienced it, you want to go back and back and back !
Stealing Lumby: The second installment of the series picks up where The Lumby Lines left off, with Pam
Walker bemused by husband Mark's horticultural foibles and attempts at
animal husbandry, as the two struggle to turn a profit at their new inn.
But when the painting The Barns of Lumby, by the esteemed Dana
Porter is stolen, the quiet town suddenly finds itself in the media
spotlight. A slew of journalists descend and shake things up for
everyone, especially young widow Katie Banks, the owner of the barns
depicted in the painting. Katie is suspicious of journalists, but in
spite of her skepticism, Katie is drawn into a romance with Adam Massey,
a journalist who is also writing a biography of Dana. Other subplots
include a monastery that makes a popular gourmet rum sauce and the
sinister maneuverings of Norris Fiddler, the New York–based media
conglomerate CEO owner of the stolen painting. You can read an except of Chapter One HERE.
Lumby's Bounty: The third installment of Fraser's Lumby series looks in on the Rocky
Mountain burg and finds its quirky citizens as busy as ever. In the
midst of renovating the inn they've built from a fire-ravaged monastery,
Mark and Pam Walker pop over to Saint Cross Abbey to visit the monks
who helped them get going. The monks, now nationally acclaimed
philanthropists, are struggling to accommodate an influx of seekers—some
come for spiritual guidance, others are drawn by the abbey's booming
gourmet food business. Across town, Caroline Ross, granddaughter of
Lumby's late matriarch, has plans to buy Lumby's deserted train station
and transform it into an arts center, but the bustle hits a bump when a
high school student, posing as the mayor, secures Lumby's bid to host an
annual hot air balloon festival. Lumby prepares to accommodate the
scores of hot air–ballooning guests and to learn a thing or two about
ballooning. Though this ambling tale takes a while to get off the
ground, once the plots start moving, there are plenty of light chuckles
to be had. Read the excerpt from Chapter One HERE.
There I've said it! I DO! With each book my love for the series grows and I wonder at Fraser's imagination and ability to keep up with her small town (I imagine she has a room with bios and a large map on one wall to keep locations and people straight while writing, as she makes up SO much back history for the town!). I love how Fraser interperses samples of the 'Lumby Gazette' into the chapters-they bring the small town more to life And frequently are quite hilarious! If you've missed the Mitford series, you'll find your new home here with Fraser. Her husband does the illustrations on the covers and the inside maps. He brings Fraser's descpriptions to life 100%- there is no sorta, you feel like you're looking at a photograph of the real building! When I finish reading a Lumby book I feel all satisfied and nostalgic at the same time! I want more! I hope she keeps the books coming, because I would be heart broken like when the Mitford series came to an end!
Fraser also gives us a 'reader' at the end of the books with more dialogue from some of the characters, so you don't feel totally Lumby abandoned! Plus there's a book club guide AND as always some scrumptious recipes from different characters in the book!
I had to pass on this yummy Garlic Parmesan Chicken recipe from Stealing Lumby, as it is SO simple and SO good!
I've read 2 of the 3 books and wanted to share them with you!
First let me explain about Lumby.
Lumby is home.
I mean that in the most honest sense of the word! When I pick up one of the Lumby books, I am immediately transported to a place I WISH I could call home. The setting is idylic, the townsfolk quirky but wonderful and nothing too far amiss goes on. And even if it does, it always works out in the end... SIGH....it's like Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls, once you've experienced it, you want to go back and back and back !
I ADORE THIS SERIES.
There I've said it! I DO! With each book my love for the series grows and I wonder at Fraser's imagination and ability to keep up with her small town (I imagine she has a room with bios and a large map on one wall to keep locations and people straight while writing, as she makes up SO much back history for the town!). I love how Fraser interperses samples of the 'Lumby Gazette' into the chapters-they bring the small town more to life And frequently are quite hilarious! If you've missed the Mitford series, you'll find your new home here with Fraser. Her husband does the illustrations on the covers and the inside maps. He brings Fraser's descpriptions to life 100%- there is no sorta, you feel like you're looking at a photograph of the real building! When I finish reading a Lumby book I feel all satisfied and nostalgic at the same time! I want more! I hope she keeps the books coming, because I would be heart broken like when the Mitford series came to an end!
Fraser also gives us a 'reader' at the end of the books with more dialogue from some of the characters, so you don't feel totally Lumby abandoned! Plus there's a book club guide AND as always some scrumptious recipes from different characters in the book!
I had to pass on this yummy Garlic Parmesan Chicken recipe from Stealing Lumby, as it is SO simple and SO good!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cp olive oil
- 1/4 cp minced garlic
- salt and pepper
- 1 cp grated Parmesan Cheese
- 3 slices of raw bacon, cut into 1" squares
- 3 lbs of chicken breasts, thighs, legs and/or wings
Directions
- In a large plastic resealable bag, place chicken, the olive oil and garlic. Seal and place in refrigerator overnight, or for several hours.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F . Transfer chicken to a shallow baking dish or high rimmed cookie sheet, placing chicken skin side up and and leaving ample space between chicken pieces..
- Salt and pepper each piece of chicken, and then dab the chicken with the remaining marinade. On each piece, sprinkle a generous amount of the cheese. Place a few pieces of bacon on top of the cheese, on top of the chicken.
- Bake 40-50 minutes in the preheated oven, until chicken is crisp on the top and cooked through (the meat will begin to pull away from the bone).
- Serve with garlic mashed potatoes and a green salad. Goes super with a Pinot Grigio. Serves 4-6.
Disclosure: This book was sent to me by FSB Associates, free
of charge, for me to review. I was not told how to review it however.