Growing up in the West Virginia mountain town of Charleston, Jennifer Garner didn’t dream of being a screen star - she wanted to be a librarian.

“This is about as far from Hollywood as any place on Earth. I wanted to be a children’s book author and a librarian,” Garner, 36, tells PEOPLE while back in Charleston, where her weekend was to include reading Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson at a gathering to help eventually expand the public library.

“My mom took my sisters and me to the library once a week when we were kids,” she recalls, “and it’s such a huge community center, especially in a town that has very few resources - to have a place with 100 computers and Internet access to everyone for free, that’s really important in a town like this.”

The event raised $475,000 toward building a new athletic center in memory of Garner’s childhood friend’s parents, Mario and Louise Palumbo. (Her friend is state senator Corey Palumbo.)

“When we got off the plane, Ben realized he had forgotten his bow tie. I had worked at Kelley’s Men’s Shop all through high school, so I said, ‘Let’s go to Kelley’s.’ And everybody I knew was there,” she says.

Calming to Return

“I’m always so happy to come home. There’s never enough time. Just seeing the mountains, and seeing the green, and the river is the most soothing thing in the world for me,” says Garner, who is expecting the Afflecks’s second child this winter. (Daughter Violet turns three on Dec. 1.)

“Sometimes you just need to get you feet in the soil. It’s invigorating and calming at the same time,” she says.

So, how about returning to her original intention in life: Is Garner working on a children’s book?

“I would love to,” she says. “But I haven’t had the inspiration yet.”

Like many of Hollywood’s leading ladies who counted on him to create their glamorous looks, Jennifer Garner is reeling from the loss of makeup artist

Paul Starr, who died in his Los Angeles home Monday night.

“It’s a real blow to the people that loved him,” Garner tells PEOPLE. “I’m just shocked. The real effect of not having him around is going to just hit us more and more both personally and professionally.”

She adds: “I can’t think of a thing that I did, that I loved, that Paul wasn’t a part of. It’s a horrible shock to me. He was such a warm, kind, wonderful man. He will be missed.”

“We were really close,” the actress says. “He was supposed to do my makeup this morning so that we could catch up. I think that the world just got a little less pretty.”

In addition to Garner, with whom he had worked for several years, Starr created signature looks for stars such as Angelina Jolie, Nicole Richie, and Madonna, and considered among his closest friends actress Rosanna Arquette.

The cause of Starr’s death was unknown, pending an autopsy.

Jennifer Garner finally confirmed Wednesday what her baby bump has made clear for weeks - that she and husband Ben Affleck are expecting their second child.

“We’re so excited, obviously,” Garner told Access Hollywood at Walt Disney’s 10th Anniversary party for the Baby Einstein line of merchandise.

“It always makes me laugh when people say ‘Is she?’ ‘Isn’t she?’ It’s like eventually you will know, so just chill out for a minute,” she told Access Hollywood.

“Yeah, been through it,” Garner said. “It’s all good, it’s great. I’m really excited.”

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• Juno star Jennifer Garner, dining with hubby Ben Affleck at Katsuya in Brentwood, Calif. Casually dressed with no make-up and her hair in a bun, Garner looked comfortable and relaxed on the evening before the Oscars.

• A radiant Jessica Alba and fiancé Cash Warren,lounging with friends at the Soho House/Grey Goose party in West Hollywood and enjoying the panoramic city views.

• Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, noshing on manchego, prosciutto and fresh rosemary flatbread at the temporary Soho House outpost in West Hollywood.

• NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon, dining with his model wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, and new baby at the Ivy. “She was holding the baby as they walked out,” an onlooker tells us. And despite the cold temperatures, Vandebosch was wearing a summer dress. Also at the Ivy: Garth Brooks, holding court with a table of six.

• Charlize Theron, settling into lunch with Stuart Townsend at Fouquet’s along the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

• By BRYAN ALEXANDER, JENNIFER GARCIA, REBECCA GROSS and PETER MIKELBANK

Friday’s Caught in the Act >

Jennifer Garner appreciates her fans - even when they ask the tough questions.

Asked, “When are you going to have another %26#91;child%26#93;?” during a break in filming This Side of Truth last Friday, the 36-year-old actress laughed off the unexpected query.

“Sometime,” she replied. “I don’t know. I have to think about that one.”

“I have to say hi to the girls,” she said, heading over to sign autographs for a crowd. She made sure all the children got some face time.

Ben Affleck’s other half asked one little girl, “Are you a swimmer?” before revealing, “I was a swimmer when I was your age.”

Other young fans asked about daughter Violet, 2. “She’s good,” replied Garner, who fended off compliments about her appearance with some good-natured modesty. She joked to one admirer: “That’s what five hours of hair and makeup will do for you!”

Jennifer Garner may be the toast of Broadway for her Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac, and she may be the national critics’ darling for her role as the wannabe mom in the new movie Juno, but to the folks at home, she’s no slouch, either.

In fact, on Sunday she was named West Virginian of the Year.

“For her dedication, work ethic and unique role as role model and ambassador for West Virginia,” the actress and mom receives the annual honor, heralds her hometown paper, Charleston’s Sunday Gazette-Mail - which also proudly notes that Garner is the cover girl on this month’s Glamour.

According to younger sister Susannah Carpenter (one of three Garner siblings, and an accountant in Charleston), “Everyone in my family has a deep love of West Virginia.”

In Jennifer’s own words - she sent the paper an e-mail - the star says that when it comes to visiting home, “I like to do the things that are familiar. I like to see people I grew up with. I always go to Taylor Books. I love going home to my church - Christ Church United Methodist. I probably visit a Dairy Queen, and I love the farmer’s market.”