Just tell me how NOT to love Barbara Kingsolver? I purchased her Poisonwood Bible from a used book table years ago just because I'd heard so many people (Oprah included) talk about how wonderful it was. They were not wrong, and it quickly became one of my favorite books. Then I heard her interviewed on NPR and had to get her newest novel Flight Behavior. Could not stop there! I have since delved into her entire writing career and have come to love her fascination with nature, Native American tribes and return characters. Start with The Bean Trees and then Pigs in Heaven and then wherever the spirit takes you. You will not be let down and will forever be telling anyone who will listen how much you luuuurve Kingsolver.
This story might take a minute to tell. Bear with me. When my sister and I were little girls, my mother took us to a large baptist church in town. Even as a child, I never remember feeling welcome there. But I do remember the lovely older couple that kept my Sunday School class. They gave us saltines and kool-aid, and I remember thinking they would be nice grandparents to have. At Christmastime, the Sunday School class was set to have a random gift exchange. Every child was supposed to bring a gift that could be exchanged with any other child.....no specific gift designations. I received the gift of an Avon 7 bead necklace which was very popular at the time. I loved it so much and was thrilled to have it! I was somewhere between 5 and 7 at the time. (Back in the 1970's and 80's, Avon was a cosmetic company that was also known for it's inexpensive jewelry. I couldn't find a price on what this necklace would have cost back then, but apparently there is ...

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