31 Things You Didn't Know About Me (+ Giveaway!)

I turned 31 yesterday and I thought I'd do something different and share 31 things about myself. And if you manage to get through my entire list, you'll reach the giveaway. Which is pretty awesome if I do say so myself! (Resist the temptation to skip down to the bottom of this post!). 

Here goes: 

1. My favorite color is purple (followed closely by yellow these days).
2. My favorite movie of all time is Before Sunset.
3. I'm an only child but having 5 cousins who all live within a 15 minute radius makes me feel like I'm not. 
4. I just got over my fear of planes this past year. 
5. I'm addicted to coffee. I started taking sips of my parents' coffee behind their backs when I was 5 years old. They tried to stop me but eventually gave up. 
6. I'm also addicted to Code Red Mountain Dew. 
7. I have a sweet tooth. (I almost always have candy in my apartment or bag or desk at work ...) 
8. My biggest shopping vice is bags. (Duh!)
9. I took piano lessons for over 10 years and can still play and read notes.
10. I'm left-handed.
11. I took ballet/pointe and jazz for 5 years. 
12. I own a vinyl record player.
13. The first movie I ever saw in a theatre was The Little Mermaid with my Dad. It's still my favorite Disney movie.
14. I love Audrey Hepburn. I've seen 10 of her movies (and I'll eventually get through all of them!).
15. My favorite childhood book is a toss-up between Anne of Green Gables (I have 3 copies of this book so far + all the movies) and A Wrinkle In Time. 
16. I'm afraid of crickets. I mean, I don't like bugs period. But my family has witnessed me yelling and running away at the sight of a cricket more times than I'd like to admit. 
17. My baking specialty = red velvet cupcakes. 
18. "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" by The Darkness is one of my happy songs. 
19. My first concert was The Backstreet Boys. (I'm only mildly embarrassed by this.) 
20. I collect postcards. Whenever people travel, I ask them to send me one (it doesn't count if you just hand it to me). I have postcards that are 15+ years old and I plan to never throw them out. 
21. I also save movie tickets in a jar. I still have ones from middle school. 
22. I can't swim, not even float. I only sink. 
23. I went out of the country for the first, and only time so far, a few years ago. London & Paris! 
24. I constantly wish that I could sing and play the guitar. 
25. I've known one of my best friends since I was 7 years old. It's such a rare thing and I'm so grateful for it. (And my other two besties I've known since freshmen year of college!)
26. I am not originally from New Jersey! I was born in Queens and lived in Elmhurst for the first 7 years of my life.
27. Dawson's Creek inspired me to become a web designer and developer. The first website I ever made was a fan site for the show. 
28. I was named after Rachel from the Bible.
29. I'm only 4' 11½". 
30. And yet, my favorite kind of shoes are flats.
31. I want a Chanel bag one day. 

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Giveaway Time!

I'm really excited about this giveaway! I'm including a bunch of different things: ARCs that I've read recently and enjoyed, finished copies of some of my favorite books plus a few other surprises. The giveaway will run until July 14th so I hope you guys will enter! (US and Canada only.)

Some awesome ARCs

Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler
One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington
Strange & Ever After by Susan Dennard
The Kiss of Deception by Mary Pearson
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
The Queen of Tearling by Erika Johansen
Some of my favorite books
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Fingerpints of You by Kristen-Paige Madonia
Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
How to Love by Katie Cotugno
Assortment of book swag!
HarlequinTeen notebook
Throne of Glass tote bag
Exquisite Captive bracelet
Signed bookmark & sticker from Susan Dennard
Signed Be With Me bookmark
Life by Committee bookmark

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to everyone who called, texted, Facebook'ed and tweeted!

Every message made my day extra special <3