(It’s My) Birthday Tag and Giveaway!

By Rachel

Great Gatsby Gif

Today is my Birthday, and I am 25 years-old. I don’t know what I should say to follow that statement… 🙂 It’s only recently that I’ve begun to feel like an actual adult, and I’m still not sure if I’ve acclimatized to it, or not. When I was younger, I expected there to be some big shift when it happened, a sign that I had “grown up” and was now fully in-charge of my own life, my own decisions, and even my own mistakes. But it never came. Instead, there was more of a slow acceptance, a slow maturing and a slow understanding that growing up is not quite what you expect it to be. There are many great and positive aspects to being an adult, but sometimes it can also feel a lot like hard work! But hard work is not something I plan to do today – I’ve taken the day off, I’m going to meet a friend for lunch, I’m going to laze around reading my books, and I can do those things because I’m 25 and no one can tell me I can’t 😀

Two of my friends, Brandie @ Brandie is a Book Junkie, and Stef @ Caught Read Handed, were both very generous and sent me unexpected Birthday presents (which caused grins, tears and a warm fuzzy glow!), so I decided to share those great feelings with others by hosting a Birthday Tag and Giveaway on the blog. I’ll be picking two winners, who will each get to choose a book from The Book Depository up to the value of $12.50. You don’t have to take part in the Tag to enter the giveaway, but it will earn you extra entries.

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway here!

The Birthday Tag

1. What date is your Birthday?

Today, 24th February.

2. What is your favourite kind of Birthday cake?

Any variety of really yummy chocolate cake. Preferably the kind with icing and a gooey centre. With a coffee.

3. What is your birth-stone?brazilian-amethyst

Amethyst. It’s purple (I LOVE purple), it’s sparkly and I love how it forms on the inside of what looks like a normal rock.

4. Which celebrities/famous people share your birth date?

Steve Jobs, Kristen Davis and Billy Zane are the only recognisable ones I could find!

5. What would be your ideal Birthday present?

Books obviously feature up there pretty highly 🙂 I also love getting something that is thoughtful or meaningful. I’m a very sentimental person, and there are many things I enjoy, so I’m really not hard to buy for! I love spending time with my friends and my sister, and I’m getting to see her next weekend, so I’m looking forward to that!

6. If you could invite anyone famous to your Birthday party, who would it be?

I hate when I ask myself difficult questions. I’d love for JK Rowling, Colleen Hoover and Sarah J Maas to come around, because I ❤ them. Jamie Oliver could cook (sorry, Gordon!), and Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce could provide the after dinner entertainment. Michael McIntyre, Stephen Fry and Graham Norton would make excellent guests, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Damon Salvatore there either to be honest…

7. What is one of your favourite/funniest/happiest Birthday memories?

My 16th was pretty memorable. Around 6 friends and I went on the train on a day trip to one of my favourite places in Ireland and my mum made these tasks and challenges up that were in sealed envelopes that we had to open at certain times during the day. We were provided with disposable cameras (anyone else remember those?) to document the day, and I still have all of the photos and challenges in their envelopes in a memory box.

8. If you could choose a different period in history to be born, when would it be?

I was born in 1990, so I literally just missed out on being an 80’s baby, and I think if I could choose a different time to be born it would be at the end of the 70’s/start of the 80’s. I love 80’s music, and my naturally curly and unruly hair would have fitted in well with the big hair craze!

80s music gif

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my post! I hope you enter the giveaway, and if you do the tag, leave a link below so others can check it out!

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About Rachel

Avid reader & #bookblogger. Lover of all things business. A fan of drinks & dancing. Ever optimistic. Feminist.

99 Responses

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      Hahaha! You’re so lucky the -er part was in there!

      I’ll go looking for it, I think I spotted that and didn’t have a clue what it meant! Lol R x

      Like

  6. karen's avatar karen

    Happy Birthday, I just had a birthday a couple of days ago and I am very, very close to being double your age. You have a great day andwonderful year. Enjoy every experience or at least remind yourself the bad ones will pass. I also have to say your momma most love you very much to provide you with such wonderful memories of a special birthday. I hope you make many more wonderful memories with each passing year.

    Like

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      Hi, Karen. Happy Birthday to you, too! Thanks so much for commenting, and for your wonderful words. They’re definitely exactly what I needed to hear, and they’re making me tear up as I write this! Remembering that any bad times are only temporary is great advice, I think we can too often become bogged down in them, and struggle under their weight while forgetting to appreciate all the good and positive things in our lives. My 16th birthday was also special because it was the last one before my mum became quite unwell, and there are elements of her illness that really make me struggle with our relationship, much more than I like to admit. Thanks for reminding me there’s love there. R x

      Like

  8. elizabeth1929's avatar elizabeth1929

    Happy Birthday! I’d probably choose The False Prince, because I’ve read the book before, and loved it. And I’d like to own a copy of it

    Like

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      My blogging friends have that one covered, Joy! Brandie sent me Hopeless and Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover, and Stefani sent me I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios. ❤ and 😀 Took the day off (would have liked the week off!lol) and am trying to enjoy it by doing not very much of anything! R x

      Like

  11. Mingtsai's avatar Camille

    happy birthday, Rachel! And I agree with onlybooksandhorses, your 16th birthday was pretty spectacular. 🙂 I hope this year will blow the others out of the park. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity, btw. I don’t know yet what to pick if ever I win. so many goodies to choose from. 🙂

    Like

  14. Brandie's avatar Brandie

    Happy Birthday my dear sweet friend!! I hope you’re enjoying your days off reading and falling in love with Dean Holder. 😉

    You’re still young and beautiful and fabulous. Enjoy it!

    Like

  15. miki's avatar miki

    happy birthday!!!
    i love amethist too color but also it’s meaning ( true feeling i like)
    i’m too shy to participate in teh tag sorry but thank you a lot for the giveaway
    i would pick a book from my wishlist but i can’t tell you which one yet ( teh price can vary in so many days)because my birthday is 16th march and i’m waiting to know which book i will receive first ( i prefer to avoid double) perhaps a book by faith hunter but i’m not sure

    thank you!

    Like

  17. Valentina's avatar Valentina

    Happy Birthday! I’d probably choose Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2) by Marissa Meyer, because I read Cinder and I love it. Thanks for the chance!

    Like

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      Thanks, Valentina! I’m really looking forward to reading that series, I picked up Scarlet for £2 from The Book People but don’t own Cinder yet! R x

      Like

  19. holly's avatar HOLLY

    Happy happy birthday!!! I agree- I’m only 18, but I thought that when I turned 18 I would suddenly feel so much older. Nope, same old me, haha. I hope you have a wonderful day!! 😀

    P.S. If I won, I’d probably choose Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley.

    Like

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      Thanks, Holly! I felt like that too at 18, somewhere between 23 and 25 it just kind of happened! Haven’t heard of that book before, going to go check it out! R x

      Like

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      Thanks, Stef! I really want to read something by Schwab, hearing really good things about her, might try Archived soon! Don’t forget to do the giveaway (and tag if you like :D)! R x

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Rachel's avatar Rachel

        I got a preview but I want to read the whole thing (didn’t realise it was a sample!). Thanks for entering! Looking forward to your tag. R x

        Like

  21. Sadaf's avatar Sadaf

    Happy birthday!!! 😀
    So many great books on my wishlist but I think I’ll go for The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin 😀

    Like

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      So many, Alex! Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Queen, Guns and Roses, Bryan Adams, Foreigner, Wham, Alexander O’Neill, Luther Vandross, Bon Jovi, The Pointer Sisters, Bananarama, and loads more individual songs rather than artists! I was brought up on that kind of music and would have loved to have been around when it was in the charts! R x

      Like

  26. Diamond Divine's avatar diamondnazaneen

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
    25 is such a big number, as far as importance! but really, I am 28 already (it flew by so fast!) and now that I think about it nothing really happened at 25 that didn’t happen these past few years as far as “life changing” or anything.
    When I was young I had that same mentality that 25 was when I would have “my shit together” and I’d be all adult wearing high heels and carrying a briefcase everyday >.< LOL.
    I hope you have an amazing birthday celebration! Because really, that is what you'll remember! It's a time you can just have fun and get loose. It's great to get older. At least, that's what I have come to think 😉

    Enjoy!!! ❤
    Diamond @ Dee’s Reads

    Like

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      Yea, the briefcase thing didn’t quite work out in real life how it looked in my head (I wear steel toes to work…lol). But the idea of “adulthood” is very far removed from the reality!! I feel grown up this year, I think I kind-of have my shit together, not as good as some but better than most! Lol but I still feel like I haven’t hit those self-imposed milestones you’re “supposed” to yet. It’s weird when your school friends get married and have kids. I’m very mature for my age, but the idea of both freak me out!! Thanks for commenting! R x

      Like

  27. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity's avatar Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    Happy Birthday! I hope you had a great day filled with presents and cake (both required for any successful birthday).

    I obviously had to do the tag for my birthday, it seemed only right, and it was really fun answering the questions. As to what book I would want if I won… well, that’s a hard one because there are so many books on my to buy list right now. I’m thinking The Disenchantments by Nine La Cour because that book has been on my to buy list for too long.

    Like

  29. JAsmine Ong's avatar JAsmine Ong

    Happy birthday and thanks for this great giveaway 🙂
    I will chose Aritotle and Dante Discover The Secret of The Universe , I always wanted to read this book after finish its excerpt 🙂 Its about the relationship between two boys as friend and love the relationship between them , caring for each other. I hope i will have such a friend !

    Like

  31. Cali's avatar Cali W.

    Happy Birthday and thanks for the giveaway! I will be turning 24 soon, so we are close in age. 😉 I guess a book I would choose is a book from my wishlist like The Warrior by Victoria Scott or a Cassandra Clare book. 🙂

    Like

  33. Cali's avatar Cali W.

    Reblogged this on caliwillette and commented:
    Answers for my birthday tag!
    1. 4/17/1991
    2. Chocolate gauche
    3. Diamond
    4. Sean Bean, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Garner, Rooney Mara
    5. Type writer
    6. Tom Hiddleson and Jared Leto
    7. When I went to see my favortie band in concert
    8. 70’s or 50’s

    Like

  35. Kayla Arnold's avatar Kayla Arnold

    I may choose How I Found You by Gabriella Lepore if it’s out on BD by then because I really want the cover with Sasha Alsberg on it 😀

    Like

    1. Rachel's avatar Rachel

      I can’t wait for that one! I need more Maas in my life, but I’m not liking starting a new series that isn’t all released yet, because the waits kill me! R x

      Like

  41. Dinky's avatar Dinky

    Happy, happy birthday!!! 🙂 Although little late..
    I don´t know which book I would choose yet, but probably The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. It would be great to have this book in my bookcase 🙂

    Like

  43. Isa's avatar Isa

    Happy belated birthday! 🙂 I love the guests you chose to invite, sounds like it’d be a hella fun party. Your 16th birthday sounds pretty awesome and adventurous. Thank you for the giveaway, enjoy your day. 🙂

    Like

  44. Claudia Rivera's avatar Claudia Rivera

    Happy Birthday! My mom’s birthday is also February 24th.

    I would choose the new book that will be released this year from author Lisa Genova. I’ve read all her books and I’ve loved them. I am sure I will love the new book too.

    Like

  50. Emma A's avatar Emma A

    Happiest of birthdays! I think I would want The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova, or Stolen Songbird by Danielle Jensen! Thank you!

    Like

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