This is the third in the charming Lumby series. In this installment, a hot air balloon festival is coming to Lumby and the town must come together to build their own balloon and show Lumby's hospitality to the visitors. Several story lines along with salt-of-the-earth characters kept me quickly turning pages until the end. I actually think that I feel my heart rate slowing when I read these books. It's nice to take a deep breath and enjoy the hospitality of Lumby. ( )

Although I have enjoyed all of the books in this series, I felt a very personal connection to this one. I saw myself in Hannah Daniels' shyness and desire to reclaim herself as a person. I also saw myself in Pam Walker with her intense fear of failure and her need to know how to do everything exactly before starting a project. I could see my relationship with my husband in their marriages. With Jimmy and Hannah I saw exactly where I don't want to end up.

The description of the hot-air balloon launch at the end of the festival brought back memories of attending a festival in Battle Creek, Michigan when I was I was a teen. My dad had gone to college with one of the men who had a balloon on the field so we were able to go out there where many attendees were not allowed. We didn't go up in a balloon but watching them all take flight was an amazing experience! I can clearly imagine the joy and wonder that the residents of Lumby felt with the launch of their amazing balloon.

I love how Fraser can write such an entertaining story that is so light on the surface but really contemplates some of the deeper aspects of life. Many of the characters are searching for purpose and direction in their lives and others offer gentle advice along the way. While the monks of Saint Cross Abbey provide a very spiritual component to the books, Fraser also shows their sense of humor and human doubts as to the best path to take. It is truly the characters and their relationships that make these books so charming. One simply never knows what will happen next in Lumby! ( )

This is the third book in that chronicles the town of Lumby and its inhabitants and it just seems to get better and better. We have seen in the prior two books the changes in the town and in this book we are witness to changes in the people themselves.

Brian Beezer, a ne'er-do-well teenager, who constantly seems to be getting into trouble, contracts in the towns name to host a hot air balloon festival and then sort of dumps the problem on the town to handle. As usual the residents come together to handle the situation and the underlying stories and interactions are entertaining as usual.

I really don’t want to go farther than that into the story because, IMO, it would definitely spoil the story for the next reader. The special characters from the previous books (Hank, Isabella-the blind horse) are joined with a few new "characters" as well as residents and visitors that are given more center stage. The book was so wonderfully written that I was constantly thinking about the story even when I wasn't reading it. I really wish there was a town of Lumby - I'd put it on my vacation list for sure! ( )

I just love this series. It's right up there with the MItford series by Jan Karon. There's something about quirky small town fiction that just makes me happy. Everyone, if not accepts, at least tolerates the quirks of the inhabitants of these small towns. The residents in this type of fiction seem to understand is everyone, no matter how odd they are, contribute to the whole of the community. How can you not love a story like that.

"Lumby's Bounty" is the third in the series and introduces a few new character's and digs deeper into others. Gail Fraser has a way of fleshing out her characters and making them real.

A completely fun read and leaves you feeling like you've taken a nice weekend holiday. ( )