Project Runway Seasons Ranked- Worst to Best!

Hey, y'all! So, for the past few months, I've been consistently posting my Project Runway Designer Rankings, which you can check out here. And since I've just wrapped that series up, I decided that the best way to bookend that series is to rank the seasons from least favorite to favorite. I have a ton of other Project Runway rankings that I'd like to do, but this one is the major one that I've been wanting to do for a while. This is also really interesting for me, because despite having loose rankings in my mind, I never sat down and actually ranked them until I was preparing for this post.

Just to explain how I ranked these, it's definitely a mix of personal feelings and objective aspects such as the quality of designers and the level of competition in each season. I'm not going to claim that my personal likes and dislikes don't play a part-- they absolutely do, and this is in no way a completely objective ranking. My personal enjoyment of a season and the number of designers that I connected with certainly plays a part in the ranking. But I also feel like I definitely took the objective aspects into account and will certainly argue that the general placement of each season in the list is on par with the objective aspects as well. 

Given that I've already openly discussed everyone's placings in their seasons, there will definitely be moments where I mention/discuss the winner of each season. So, if you'd prefer not to know who won, you might want to skip out on this. That being said, let's just go ahead and jump into this list!

14) Season 6

If you're a hardcore Project Runway fan, this is probably completely unsurprising. For the uninitiated, this was the first season after the move from Bravo to Lifetime and the only season to take place in LA rather than NYC. Not much really worked about this season, and it almost feels like a spin-off rather than a normal season. This was just a really weak cast, not just in personality, but in skill and aesthetic. Almost none of the characters are memorable. The top 3/4 designers are pretty much the only strong designers in the season-- and they're blatantly obvious from very early on. 

On top of this, we had one designer who was such a disaster that he was eliminated despite his team winning the challenge. And, even worse, we had that really weird Johnny controversy that I still don't fully understand. Perhaps this season could be redeemed even a tiny bit by a likable winner, but instead our winner was the contestant nicknamed "Meana Irina" (who unfortunately was probably the strongest designer). Across the board, this was just an incredibly weak season-- few memorable people, few strong designers, few memorable moments, and an unlikable winner. 

13) Season 5

I'll admit that Season 5 being this low could be due to the recency bias-- it's been years since I've watched this season-- but I didn't really like it the first time around either. To me, this season just wasn't that interesting. Many of the people on this season weren't memorable, and most that were memorable were rather unlikable. Like with season 6, I think that we had a strong final 3/4, but that the rest of the designers were pretty mediocre at best. We do get some fun moments with Tim trying to holla at your boy, but did anything else that was vaguely interesting happen this season?

I know that most people have this one ranked quite a bit higher, but I just simply don't like this season that much. I think I'm going to do a re-watch to confirm that I really do want to have it this low, but I really don't think it's necessary. I just really don't like it that much compared to all of the other awesome seasons. It's not quite as low as season 6 because I feel like Season 5 had more strong and more likable designers... but not by a lot. Hence it sitting here.

12) Season 11

Admittedly, as a Project Runway superfan, it's a bit sacrilege to put this anywhere except last or second-to-last. Again, for the uninitiated, season 11 is the blatant outlier because it's Project Runway: Teams. In season 11, the contestants were divided into teams for the majority of the season. They began as 2 large teams, and got shuffled around multiple times before eventually working individually in the endgame. The format just works so completely differently from any other season, and like with season 6, it almost feels like a spin-off show. It's incredibly frustrating to watch people being forced together for multiple weeks in a row. There were also some people this season who seemed to be so outside of what PR usually casts and seemed to be set up for failure from the start. 

Anyway, after that whole spiel, you're probably wondering how this ended up falling higher in my rankings than the other two. Honestly, it's simply more likable designers. Sure, I don't think that there are a ton of super strong designers on this season. I'd say that there are 4ish standouts. However, I really enjoyed a few of the designers. I love Michelle. I love her, I love her aesthetic, and she's definitely my favorite this season. I also really enjoyed Benjamin and Amanda and thought that there were a few more likable people. And despite it being such a different format, the recency of it is a definite advantage. It's definitely a bit more enjoyable to watch the snappier editing and more current aesthetics than to watch seasons 5 or 6 (IMO) so it edged those out just a bit. 

11) Season 14

While I have a definite ranking here, this list has some pretty definite tiers, and this one closes out the bottom tier, which consists of the 4 seasons that are my least favorites/ the ones I think are the worst. We've now reached the highly-contested, most recent season of Project Runway. Tim Gunn has declared this his least favorite season, and I can totally understand. There were definitely people who weren't working up to their full potential and that's just very disappointing. I wasn't very impressed with this season as a whole, TBH. And it's also really hard to know what all to say about it because it is such a recent addition, and therefore it is a little less solidified in my mind. 

I had super high hopes for Swapnil pre-season, and he definitely was rather successful throughout the show but it was disappointing that he wasn't working that hard. Especially after seeing that finale collection. He could've easily won with that finale collection and it's a downright shame that it was just a decoy. It was phenomenal and beautiful. That being said, one bright shining light in this season was Ashley Nell Tipton, the first winner with a strong leaning toward plus-sized designing, which I really appreciated. There were several aesthetics that I really liked this season, but overall I didn't find many of the characters that compelling. And sure, I've only watched it once, but I honestly have trouble coming up with any extremely memorable moments, which is never a good thing. 

10) Season 12

To be quite honest, season 12 is nearly tied with the season just above it. They're at the bottom of this middle-bottom tier of seasons, and I found myself constantly flip-flopping them. The only reason that I chose the other one above this one is that I have some favorites in that season that I like more than people in this season. There were definitely some pretty big moments this season. The Tim Gunn Save being used for the first time was a very touching moment. The Sandro freakout was another one. And then on top of that, just everything about Ken and his drama, especially that fight with Alex Pope. Also, my personal favorite is all of the silliness surrounding Timothy and his oddball designs and his obsession with unicorns. 

Despite this being rather low in my rankings, there's still quite a bit to like about this season. There are a lot of strong designers. There are handful of likable people. If you want drama, there's definitely drama. I think the reason that this falls so low is simply because everything is just not quite as good as other seasons. There are several likable people, but definitely less than in stronger seasons. There's drama, but it's not always fun to watch because of how mean-spirited it could be. There are strong designers, but for every strong designer, there are 2 fairly weak designers. It's just a very watered down version of what Project Runway has the potential to be, and what it has been in the past. 

9) Season 13

Three words describe why, despite being tied with season 12, this one won out. Sean. Kini. Amanda. The end. I think that quality-wise, season 12 might be a better season. If I had to re-watch one of them now, I'd probably watch season 12. BUT. Sean, Kini, and Amanda completely ran the table this season and I loved all 3 of them. They were all so very strong and I loved a lot of the designs that they created throughout the season. And the rainway challenge was outstanding. Of course, given that it's Project Runway, there's drama. Korina creates a lot of drama, especially with Char. But the craziest drama was the drama with Sandhya, the designer from all the way out in left field that no one understood and everyone attacked. 

When talking about season 12, I mentioned that it was basically watered down version of what the show has been in its heyday. And, in general, I think that this might even be more watered down. The designers who transcended that are the reason that it's found itself higher than 12. As stated, I'd be willing to say that objectively, season 12 is better. But Sean, Kini, and Amanda were just so awesome to watch. Even Korina was rather strong. The rest were almost completely forgettable. I liked Alex, Char was alright, Sandhya at least brought some entertainment, and Fade was quirky. If that's the best I have to say about a season's cast, it doesn't bode super well for that season. Fortunately for y'all, this is the completion of the bottom-middle tier of the list. These bottom 6 seasons are leagues below the other 8, in my opinion, so let's not talk about them anymore and let's get into the solid seasons. 

8) Season 1

The season that started it all! I found it really hard to figure out where to place season 1, because it's so incredibly different from the other seasons. While the other seasons' focus was almost solely on the design competition, in season 1 we got several segments in the apartments during the designers' extremely brief downtime. We also got to see a lot more of the drama with the models- Olga hating everything, models not wanting their hair changed, and of course, all of Morgan's crazy drama. The runway was also rather different, because it takes up a sizable percentage of today's episodes, but a minute percentage of season 1's episodes. In fact, half the time, it was difficult to tell who was in the top and who was in the bottom. 

That being said, there are so many standout moments of season 1 that help it stand the test of time. First off, we have the complete insanity that is Wendy Pepper. She was that "I'm here to win, not make friends," person in the most cut-throat, mean-spirited way possible, and it added so much entertainment. And then, there was Vanessa who was just off-the-wall bonkers. But we also had the ever-wonderful Austin Scarlett, who has become a fan-favorite. I could continue explaining why almost every designer on the show made it interesting, but instead I'll just say that the casting on this season was really great. There were so many stand-out characters, and they really made the show. The big dock on this season, for me, is the fashion. Obviously, it's been 12 years since season 1, so a lot of the fashion looks really outdated. That's to be expected. But even then, the designs this season don't stand up to some later seasons, and some of the challenges weren't exactly ones that suited themselves to fashion. For example, the postal worker challenge is questionable at best. Even the best design- which was admittedly good for a postal worker's outfit- wasn't incredibly fashionable. That being said, despite the fashion being dated at this point, the entertainment factor is definitely there.  

7) Season 4

Yes, I'm prepared for the torches and pitchforks for season 4 barely making my top half. You would've been even more upset with me if you'd seen where it was when I originally made this list (aka behind S12). But, since it had been a long time since I'd watched it, I went back and did a re-watch and it moved up my rankings. One of the reasons that it moved up is because of the general vibe to the season. The way that the show is shot, the editing, etc, everything feels like the first few seasons, which for me is extremely nostalgic and very endearing. And it reminds me that I enjoy the way that the first few seasons are put together. And honestly, from #8 (S1) on this list, these are seasons that I genuinely enjoy- the ones that I gravitate toward and want to re-watch. And upon that re-watch, I realized that season 4 definitely belonged among those... but not quite at the top. I debated moving it one spot higher, but I'll explain why I didn't when we get there.

Since this is a fan favorite season, I feel the need to explain why it's not higher on my list, so that's what I'll do. Each season, I tend to find one or two people who are my people. Not only do I enjoy their personality, but I like their aesthetic. And this season... there wasn't really anyone that fit my type of person. Sure, there were personalities that I liked, and sure, there were aesthetics that I enjoyed, but despite several extremely strong designers, none of them came together into the total package. There was one little thing about each of them that I didn't quite love (Christian could be a bit obnoxious, Rami was likable but a little one note, Jillian was sweet but I didn't dig her aesthetic that much, etc.). And quite honestly, I don't agree with the people that hold this season up as a beacon of spectacular fashion. Sure, this is one of the stronger seasons fashion-wise, but I definitely wouldn't argue for it being the strongest. 

And yes, there are a lot of things to like about season 4. You have Elisa's kookiness, Victorya steamrolling team challenges, that amazing avant-garde dress from the Chrises, etc. But for me, this was just a solid season of the show. Definitively a strong season, but not one that I completely fell in love with. The only reason it's this low is because I personally really enjoy the seasons that fell ahead of it on this list. My top 5 is an impenetrable wall of awesomeness, so this would only get 1 spot higher at most. 

6) Season 9

As mentioned in my explanation of season 4, this one slightly edged that one out. I went back and forth between these two, trying to figure out which one I liked more. And what's funny is that argument-wise, this season is the exact opposite of season 4. Season 4's biggest pros are its strong fashion and the fact that it has the vibe of an older season, and its big con (for me) is that I didn't latch on to anyone. With season 9, it definitely doesn't have the advantage of the production of an older season, and has moments where the designing is weaker. But, there are several people among this cast that I do think are strong designers and that I did latch onto. Anthony Ryan is one of my absolute favorite people to be on the show, Viktor isn't far behind, and Josh M brings insane drama. But, while season 4's finale was super strong... season 9's wasn't. Arguably the strongest and most-liked designer of the season, Anthony Ryan, got the auf wiedersehen at #7 in what was (IMO) a very controversial decision. And while the remaining designers were strong for their season, I'm not sure how well many of them would do if placed in a stronger season. 

Anya is also a somewhat polarizing winner. Some people champion her for learning to sew rather quickly and being able to fight her way through the competition to her eventual win. However, other people argue that her skills weren't as strong as they should've been and that her finale collection was a bit one-note. And I kinda agree with both sides. I think it's amazing that Anya was able to do what she did with as little sewing experience as she had, but I feel like she was constantly praised relative to her skill-set rather than objectively on the same level as the other designers. I feel like some of her success can be attributed to less-complicated designs that were executed in an interesting way. And her finale collection winning, IMO, is due to an overall weaker finale. I'll still argue that Viktor's was the best, but drop any of the collections in any other finale, and I don't think any of them would take the prize. That being said, this season is really entertaining to watch, and there were certainly moments of very strong design. The unconventional challenge gave us some really great designs from Anthony Ryan & Olivier. Viktor and Anthony Ryan were rather strong throughout as well. Plus, we got the drama surrounding a designer quitting, and all of the drama that Josh M created on his own. Overall, this is probably a more controversial opinion on my part, but I'm OK with that. 

5) Season 8

As aforementioned, this top 5 is super solid in my mind. I absolutely love season 8. This is one of the most controversial seasons of the show, but that's what makes it so amazing for me. I do have to say that I absolutely despise the finale decision. Tim Gunn has called out the judging on this season, both throughout the season and in the finale. This finale decision is the most highly-contested finale decision in the history of the show, and it was so controversial that Project Runway All-Stars was practically created for Mondo to come back and get the last laugh on Gretchen by winning a lot more money than she got. But aside from that sour spot, there were so many great things about this season. The most prominent is the drama. There was a mean girls clique (really just Gretchen and Ivy) and they spent the entire time they were there just badmouthing everyone. While it was super mean-spirited, it made the show extremely interesting to watch.

The target of most of their rudeness was the poor lil' baby, Michael Costello. They constantly complained about his construction skills and berated him for not being a good designer. It hit a low point when Ivy returned as an assistant and proceeded to accuse Michael of cheating. And part of what made the drama enjoyable is that the underdog got the upper hand in the end. When paired up with Mondo, they didn't get along because Mondo was very wary of Michael with all the drama, but by the end of the challenge, they were besties and it was adorable. Even better, Michael made it significantly farther than Ivy. And, despite just missing out on the finale, Michael has gone on to become one of the most successful designers post-show, regularly designing for major celebrities like Beyonce.

But, of course, there was more than just drama. The fashion this season was really great. Sure, most of the strongest designs came from our eventual top 2, Mondo and Gretchen, but there were some really outstanding looks. There were also several likable people outside of the mean girls. Valerie was a great designer and really likable, as was Andy (now Ari). Peach might not have been the strongest designer, but she was a lovable underdog. Mondo's emotional moment on the runway in the design-a-fabric challenge is still a standout among all of the seasons. There's just a lot to love about this season, and even though there was some mean-spirited stuff going on, the resulting drama makes the show even more entertaining. I think this season is the total package-- great designs, rootable characters, and some really great drama.

4) Season 7

I'm not sure how much of an unpopular opinion this is, but if loving season 7 is wrong, I don't want to be right. I was super torn between this one and the one that got 3rd place, and I even originally had this one in 3rd place. This was the season that I started watching Project Runway. This used to be my favorite season, and it's fallen just a little bit. I think season 7 is criminally underrated. Sure, there are a lot of weaker designers, but the top half of the pack are super strong. There are so many standout designs-- hello, Seth Aaron's mommy & me look & Jay's trashbag couture. There are a ton of really likable designers. Even Janine, someone that I didn't gravitate toward, was an incredibly sympathetic character. And we also had people like Ping who were just totally out of left field oddballs that created drama. On top of all of those, I can't say enough about the top 3 and how much I love them. They were strong designers on top of being really likable. 

There wasn't too much drama this season, which is pretty unusual for a season that winds up this high on my rankings. But the personalities on this season are really what got the season up this far. If you've seen my designer rankings, you'll know that Seth Aaron Henderson is my favorite Project Runway designer. He's such a strong, immaculate designer. There's a reason that he was the first person to win 2 Project Runway seasons. On top of that, Emilio Sosa was also one of the strongest designers to be on the show. He completely killed the competition... ignoring the washer bikini. And Mila was really strong too! A bit one-note, but still very strong. And you can't forget Anthony, one of the most endearingly hilarious designers to be on the show. Plus, the heartbreak of Maya quitting when she was killing it left and right. There's just so much to love on this season, and I definitely did love it. 

3) Season 10

I. LOVE. SEASON 10. For me, the top 4 are the like... holy grail seasons. I've mentioned that season 8 is kinda a total package for me, but season 10 is a definitive total. package. I would argue that season 10's finale episode is one of the strongest in the history of the show. Even then, there were also a handful of designers who could easily have taken one of those slots in the finale as well. I would definitely argue that this season progressed as it should have. The weak designers were out early, and the strongest designers made it to the end. And drama? Oh, the drama. Designers quitting? Check! Designer that causes total chaos all season? Check! Designer shamelessly berating their model? Check! Nearly identical designers who bicker constantly? Check!

And the fashion this season? Amazing. As alluded to earlier, there were some extremely strong designers this season. I'd argue that any of the top 8 designers could've made it to the finale with little to no argument from me. The only argument would've been that Ven was super rude- and that's nothing to do with his design ability. In the end, I do definitely think that the strongest designers made it to the finale, but put some of the other designers in another season and they'd be a finale shoo-in. I mean, the eventual winner of this season, Dmitry, also handily won his season of All-Stars. Seven of those top 8 designers ended up on All-Stars, and most of them did really well on All-Stars as well. I think it also helps this season that I really loved a lot of the designers' aesthetics- once again, especially the top 4. 

And on top of all of that, there are so many likable people! Christopher Palu gave us some of the best confessionals we've ever seen- a beautiful combination of sarcasm, wit, sass, and humor. Dmitry, our Belarusian ballroom dancer, was also a great personality, giving us great lines like "Ven is one-way monkey" and bringing humor to pretty much every scenario. Fabio was this lovable odd-ball- weird but quirky in the best way possible. Even Gunnar, the constant antagonist to Chris, was fun to watch in the Christian Siriano archetype. And Elena was off-the-wall bonkers, screaming at people and running around like a maniac. And I haven't even mentioned Melissa and Sonjia, who didn't have the hugest personalities, but were both inherently likable. Like I said, this season is just the epitome of the total package for me. The drama is there- and it's enjoyable drama! The personalities are big, bold, and lovable. And the designing is some of the strongest we've seen in the history of the show. 

2) Season 2

If anyone has any qualms with my rankings on this post, it's probably not with season 2's placement, unless you think it should be at #1 (and trust me, I seriously considered it). The first 4 seasons are typically the most-loved seasons, and many people consider season 2 to be their favorite. And there are tons and tons of reasons to love season 2. Once again, total package. This season has some of the most memorable, note-worthy designers to appear on the show, both design-wise and personality-wise. Although the fashion is dated at this point, the fashion was extremely strong for its time. And there are also so. many. memorable moments. Dramatic moments like Andrae's meltdown on the runway, Santino's fight with Nina, and Zulema's infamous walk-off. Endearing moments like the designers attempting to ice skate and Project Runway: The Musical. And, of course, the infamous... "What happened to Andrae?" Santino's impression of Tim Gunn will live in infamy forever, in or out of Red Lobster.

The designers this season were incredibly memorable. Santino Rice is a standout designer from the show, with a bigger personality than any past or future designers combined. Daniel Vosovic was this lovable 20-something fresh out of design school who walked in and mostly demolished everyone else. Chloe didn't have the biggest personality, but she was inherently likable and very strong. Nick was the obvious pro with a great personality. Andrae was... Andrae. Zulema was... Shetangi. And Daniel Franco followed his bliss. The cast was amazing, and led to some awesome designs. Unfortunately, the favorite to win got robbed (IMO) in the finale, but that's a small smudge on one of the craziest, most memorable and well-loved seasons of Project Runway.

1) Season 3

And finally, coming in at first place is season 3. This is definitely high up on most people's favorites list, but I'm not sure if this would be many people's number one season. But, I absolutely love it. There are so many big personalities this season- Vincent's kookiness, Kayne's hyperactivity, Keith's cockiness, Mychael's likableness, Angela's... Angelaness, Jeffrey's aggressiveness, etc. etc. There were just so many characters, and a ton of great designs as well! And even the personalities that weren't as big were really likable. We got some big drama, some great fashion, and a really strong final four. 

Once again, there are also so many great moments this season. This was the first time that a designer was disqualified- Keith was found with design books and left the set, so he was eliminated from the competition. We also got that great drama surrounding Jeffrey and his interactions with Angela's mom and all of the crazy drama surrounding Jeffrey and Angela in general. Even more, we got all the controversy with the claims that Jeffrey cheated in the finale. But despite the drama, we also had some super strong designers. Poor Mychael Knight was a front runner the entire season, only to deliver his disco safari finale collection and get axed at fourth. But despite that flub, the final 4 of season 3 are one of the strongest group of finale designers. Sure, Mychael's collection wasn't great, but in terms of his design ability, he was elite. Even the pseudo-villains this season are only pseudo-villains, as many of them still end up being likable/enjoyable at the end of the day. I just absolutely love this season. I've watched it so many times and each and every time I absolutely love it. The reunion episode this season is one of my absolute favorite episodes of the show. Everything about it is so entertaining and there's a reason that it's one of the most beloved seasons of the show. 

So, that's my list of the Project Runway seasons, ranked from worst to best! Let me know down in the comments which season of Project Runway is your favorite, and what you think of my ranking of these seasons! 

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Book Tags: Book Scenario Tag/ Opposites Book Tag

Hey, y'all! So I've kinda run out of Tumblr challenges that I found exciting... I'm gonna try and find more in the next couple weeks, but for today, I just couldn't find any that interested me, so I decided to do a couple book tags that I found on Youtube.

Book Scenario Tag

1. You have to get rid of all your books and you can only keep one from each of these genres - contemporary, fantasy, non-fiction and one other genre of your choosing. What books do you keep?

Contemporary:

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This book makes me cry every single time I read it, and it is 100% my favorite contemporary!

Fantasy:

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

Don't you DARE try to tell me that this is more than one book. I refuse to choose.

Non-Fiction:

Unsaid Things... Our Story by McFly

Unlike many booktubers/book bloggers, I actually really enjoy non-fiction, specifically when it relates to music, psychology, or a combination of the two. I was really torn between this one and "This Is Your Brain on Music" by Daniel Levitin, which is my favorite music psychology book.

Other genre:

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

So for the "other" genre, I chose mystery so that I could choose my favorite stand-alone novel, And Then There Were None. I was really, really tempted to choose dystopian (aka one of my 2 favorite genres) so that I could choose Ready Player One, but I couldn't leave out my favorite book.

2. You're at the bookstore and you hear a teenager telling their mom they don't like to read, but their mom insists they pick something. You walk over and recommend a book you think is great for people who aren't big on reading - what book is it?

This definitely depends on the person, so I probably wouldn't just recommend one book universally to everyone. My instinct would be to just tell them to read Harry Potter, but that takes a while to get into, especially if you're not 11 or younger when you start it. So I guess that if there's one book I think most people would enjoy, it's...

I have non-reader friends who have read this book and loved it, so I feel like this is a pretty good suggestion.

3. You're not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which book do you read to put yourself in a great mood?

This is a hard one for me, because I'm pretty emotionally consistent, so I really don't need pick-me-ups that often, and when I do, I put on some music and I'm good to go. Books take too long to cheer me up. But I guess if I was just going for a cute and happy book, this would be the one I'd choose...

It's just so cute and I want to hug it!

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years. What book would you most likely have caught yourself reading?

I read all of the Harry Potter books on a regular basis, but I definitely read this one more than any of the others.

5. Your friend surprises you with a 4 day trip and you have 1 hour to pack. Which book do you bring to read on the way?

Since I'm reading all horror novels in the month of October, I decided to choose one of those. I've already started another book (172 Hours on the Moon) but that's not long enough to keep me occupied for that long. So I chose The Diviners, which is significantly longer and will probably keep me entertained for the full four days. 

6. Your house has been robbed! Don't worry - everyone is safe, but your bookshelf has been raided. What's the book you really hope is safe?

I had to choose both of these, because they have sentimental value for me. If I was forced to choose one, I guess I'd go with Half-Blood Prince because it's my favorite Harry Potter book and I actually got to go to the midnight release of the book. These are more important to me than my signed copy of TFioS.

Also, I would like to apologize for the fact that half of these have referenced Harry Potter so far. Generally, I have other answers, but when you ask about what I'd do if I could only save one book, the answer is always HP.

7. Your friend borrows a book and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) Just pretend you haven't noticed b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same to something of theirs?

If I'm being honest, I'd probably pretend I hadn't noticed... depending on the book. However, I would hope that I'd be assertive. I don't think I'd make anyone repurchase it, especially since I like to choose the edition of the copy. I think that realistically, I'd probably mention that it didn't return in the condition it left in and give them a chance to explain. If they offered to pay for it, I'd let them. But I definitely wouldn't let them borrow a book again. I typically don't lend out books anyway. I just don't trust people. Lending books makes me nervous.

Opposites Book Tag

1. The first book in your collection/The last book you bought. 

First book in my collection:

I don't remember exactly when I got this, but it was definitely like 2002/2003ish. It's definitely the book I've owned the longest. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes in second, in July 2005.

Last book I bought:

I've actually bought one book since this, but I want to save it for the haul, so I'll just show y'all this one. I got it a couple weeks ago, planning to read it immediately, and it didn't happen. I wanted to use it to get out of my reading slump, but ended up just adding another book to the TBR.

2. A cheap book/An expensive book

Cheap book:

Not my favorite classic, but hey, it was 99 cents! And it was the cover I liked and it was in good condition. All good things.

Expensive book:

This is probably the book I paid the most for. I got both this one and Half-Blood Prince the day they were released. For HBP, I went to the midnight release and because I pre-ordered it, I got a discount. I pre-ordered Deathly Hallows and planned to get it at midnight but then my parents scheduled our vacation and we traveled back home the day it was released. So I'd have to wait until I got home to buy it. And I was like "Nope, not having any of that" so I got it full-price at the airport on the morning of its release. My parents didn't get it, but I have never regretted that decision. I don't even know where my 13 year old self got the $35 dollars. Maybe I still had birthday money?

3. A book with a male protagonist/A book with a female protagonist. 

Male protagonist: 

Ready Player One is told from the POV of a teenager named Wade. Y'all, this was such a great book. So awesome. I kinda want to re-read it already, and I read it in August.

Female protagonist:

Since 90% of YA books have a female protagonist, I decided to limit it to books actually told from the first person POV of that protagonist. And the first one that came to mind was Divergent!

4. A book you read quickly/A book that took you a long time to read. 

Read quickly: 

Typically, if I read a book in a day (the first time I read it), it's going to end up as a favorite. That was definitely the case with Clockwork Princess. I couldn't put it down. Other members of the one day club include Divergent, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Thirteen Reasons Why, City of Bones, and The Fault in our Stars... to name a few.

A book that took a long time:

I read the entire series back in the fall of my freshman year of high school (AKA 6 years ago) and I got through all of the other books in like 3 days apiece. And then we came to Breaking Dawn. It took like 3 weeks for me to read this. When I got to the part from Jacob's POV, I just couldn't get into it. Once it switched back to Bella's POV, I started zooming through it again. Breaking Dawn and Allegiant are examples of the negative effects of randomly inserting a dual POV into the last book of a series. Don't do it, authors!

5. A pretty cover/An ugly cover. 

Pretty cover: 

I always choose a book from the Across The Universe trilogy as a pretty cover (because the original covers of the first two are GORGEOUS) but I decided to choose something different for a change. I love the Ignite Me cover. I love all of the colors. So pretty!

Ugly cover:

It's not that this cover is overwhelmingly terrible. It's just that the first 2 books in the Across The Universe trilogy had these gorgeous, space-themed covers, and then they made THIS the cover of book 3, and changed the paperback covers of the first 2 books to match this design, and it's just so much worse. 

6. A national book/An international book. 

National book:

Not only does this take place in the United States, but specifically, Texas, which is where I'm from. Well, kinda. I lived there all throughout High School, so I consider it home. 

International book:

This book was written by a Norwegian author. None of the 3 main characters are American. Most of this book takes place on the moon. Aside from the training they do with NASA, this is about as international as it gets.

7. A thin book/A thick book. 

Thin book:

My copy of this book is tiny. I don't know how many pages it is, but it's really tiny.

Thick book:

This monster has 1079 pages. I think that one of my reading goals for next year is going to be to try and read at least 5 books that are over 800ish pages long. This is definitely on the list, as is Under the Dome, and the first few Game of Thrones books.

8. A fiction book/A non-fiction book. 

A fiction book:

Could this question be any more vague? I just decided to choose my most recent fiction read. 

A non-fiction book:

I decided not to choose McFly again, and this is my other favorite non-fiction book. 

9. A romantic book/An action book. 

Romantic book:

In the youtube video I saw of this challenge, another stipulation was that the book was overly romantic. And that's this book. To much romance, not enough of everything else. 

Action book: 

Yes, I know this is a series. However, overall, these books are very action-focused. Although romance factors in a little (honestly, not a lot at all), it's almost solely focused on the action. 

10. A book that made you happy/One that made you sad. 

Book that made me happy:

This book sent me into fits of uncontrollable giggles. All the happiness. So cute. Much love.

Book that made me sad:

I cry every single time I read this book. Every time. So good. All the sobbing. 

So that's it for today's post! I promise to get back to the actual challenges next time!

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My Top 15 Stand-Alone Books

Hey, y'all! So I was surprised to see that I haven't done any sort of list with my favorite books! I thought it might be cool to make this a bi-annual thing, and since it's about halfway through the year, I figured it might be cool to do it every year halfway through and at the end of the year. Also, at the end of this post, I'm going to discuss some stand-alones that I think/ hope will make the next list, because I plan on reading them in the near future.

This list is not limited just to Stand-Alone novels. It really just includes any book that is not part of a series. I find that series tend to sometimes muddle my lists up, because you can only put Harry Potter on your favorites list a few times before it becomes repetitive. Very repetitive. 

I also tried to actually rank them within this list rather than just doing it in alphabetical order or something like that. However, you'll see that these books are just as varied as my reading interests- Young Adult, Dystopian, Classics, Psychology, Autobiography, Mystery, Fantasy, etc.- and how does one really effectively compare a fantasy novel and an autobiography? So, as I said, I tried to rank them. But I'll be sure to discuss why a book fell higher or lower than another, whether it's because I thought it wasn't quite as good or whether I just had to put them somewhere and played eenie meenie miney mo.

That being said, the last few books on this list aren't quite as significant. I was going to do a 10 book list, but a couple things caused me to decide on 15 rather than 10. First of all, my top 10 books are fairly solid. They sometimes fluctuate, but many of the books in it have been among my favorites for several years. Adding 5 extra slots will show some of the other changes which will occur over the years. Also, I had a list of about 12 books and couldn't narrow it down. So I tacked on a few to make 15. Let's get into the list!

#15: You Are Not So Smart 

by David McRaney

Like I said, this one was mostly just an add-on to get the list to 15 books. I liked the book, and actually have a book discussion on it (click HERE to see that) but I wouldn't really consider it one of my "favorites." I thought it was really interesting to learn about all of these different ways we're "deluding" ourselves. McRaney's writing was really funny, clever, and sarcastic. He's not a psychologist, so he explains things in layman's terms rather than using stuffy psychology terms. I was a lot more articulate in my actual discussion, so if you're interested, you should definitely check that out. Overall, I enjoyed it and will definitely be picking up the sequel, You Are Now Less Dumb, at some point, but I wouldn't call it one of my "favorite" books.

#14: The House on Hackman's Hill 

by Joan Lowery Nixon

This one is really, really, random. It's still another add-on to get to 15, but it does have a special place in my heart. This is actually a children's chapter book, but it's one of the creepiest stories I've ever read. First off, look at that cover. Seriously, that alone is enough to give you the heebie-jeebies. These two kids are visiting their grandparents, and they find this creepy old mansion. After their grandparents' neighbor tells them a story about when he lived in the mansion as the child, the kids decide to find a way into the mansion to find the mummy that's supposedly inside. I'm surprised this didn't give me nightmares as a child. I'd definitely say that this is my favorite children's book... which is why I still have a copy. 

#13: The Future of Us 

by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

This is the last of the "add-ons." I'd read and loved Jay Asher's debut novel, and loved the concept behind this book. It's 1995, and best friends Emma and Josh get on the internet for the first time. But they somehow get connected to Facebook in 2011 and get a glimpse into their future. The concept and the 3 preview chapters had me insanely excited about this book, and I bought and read the entire thing the day it came out. But it slightly disappointed me. Some things were left unexplained, and some of their actions were incredibly frustrating and illogical. And I felt like they mostly wasted their glimpse into the future. However, despite all the shortcomings, I did enjoy the book. It's disappointing and I wouldn't call it my "favorite" but it was an enjoyable and quick read. 

#12: The Boys Next Door

by Jennifer Echols

I'm certainly not saying that this is an amazing, well-written piece of literature. It's obviously not. It is, however, a very light, entertaining, contemporary read. This is exactly the book you want to take to the beach with you. So many contemporary novels right now are ones like The Fault In Our Stars- riddled with pain, sadness, and tears. This book is the exact opposite. The plot is predictable and slightly laughable, but the characters are funny and entertaining. Like I said, it's not an amazing book, but if I want a fun and happy read, I pick this up. Also: yes, I'm aware that this has a sequel, but honestly, it was completely unnecessary and so I ignore it all-together.

#11: Carrie

by Stephen King

Like I said, I have a very varied taste in books. This one is a pretty distinct step up from the last one. I discussed this book in my stand-alone book discussions post #1 (Click HERE to check that out). This is the first Stephen King book I've gotten all the way through, and it made me want to read more. The story and characters were interesting, but the way it was written was the star of the show. The main plot of the book is intermingled with articles, book excerpts, interviews, etc. about the "incident." I absolutely loved that. It made the book significantly more interesting and added anticipation for the scene at prom. This book was a very pleasant surprise.

#10: The Princess Bride

by William Goldman

It took me forever to realize that this book isn't actually an edited version of a book by S. Morgenstern, but just a novel by William Goldman. I haven't re-read the book since learning about that, so I want to re-read it sometime so that I can get the real full effect of the book. Generally, I'm of the mindset that the book is always better than the movie, but in this case, I have to say that I like the movie better. I grew up with the movie, and didn't pick up the book until high school. That being said, I do still really enjoy the book. Maybe I'll like it even more upon a re-read!

#9: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

Given my love for young adult books, you might be surprised that it's not higher on my list. Although I really liked this book, I feel like I didn't love it as much as everyone else seemed to. Its strengths are the characters. All of the characters are really interesting, unique, and multi-faceted. It's also written really well and I really like the letter format. I guess that the reason it's not a little higher is because while I liked the plot, it wasn't amazing. That being said, it's obviously in my top 10 stand-alone books, so I do really enjoy the book. For this one, it's just the difference between like and love that keeps it in the lower half of my top 10.

#8: Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley

This book is a combination of several things that I really love. I love almost anything that came out of the first half of the 20th century- books, music, art, etc. I love it all. I'm also a big fan of dystopian novels. This one and the book in the #7 spot tend to go back and forth as to which one I prefer because they're both classic dystopians. What I love about dystopians is learning about the world that the book is set in. That's my favorite part about Brave New World. The plot is kinda meh for me. But the world is incredible. And I love that a lot of the focus is upon the world, and the commentary that Huxley is making using this dystopian world. The plot and characters really take a backseat, and I really appreciate that.

#7: 1984

by George Orwell

I also discussed this book in my stand-alone book discussions post #1 (Click HERE to check that out). I absolutely love the concept behind the world in this book. While the entire world isn't quite as fleshed out as Brave New World (because 1984 is a little more character-based and we only really see the world surrounding that one character) I think that the concept behind the world is amazing and terrifying. A world where you can't even think freely, let alone speak or write freely is just terrifying, and I can see how it terrified people who read it before 1984. And the ending is so great but so terrible at the same time. Like I said, Brave New World and 1984 are mostly tied, but I had to put one above the other, so I went with 1984.

#6: This Is Your Brain on Music

by Daniel Levitin

If I were to name the one book that has had the most impact on my actual life/future, I'd have to say this one. I read it my freshman year of college for a class called "The Psychology of Music." The class is still my favorite class that I've ever taken. Ever. (It helps that my advisor/music theory prof./favorite prof. ever was teaching it). I need to go back and re-read this because I procrastinated and had to read this book in a very short time period. Regardless, I absolutely loved it. Levitin likes to focus on the mind/thoughts and music rather than the neuroscience aspects, and I really agree. This entire book was just a wonderful look at psychology and music and I absolutely love it. 

#5: The Fault In Our Stars

by John Green

We have officially gotten to the books that I love, love, love. From this point onward, all of these books are super special to me. Also, as you might notice, this is a signed copy. I came across it in Target and thought it was a joke. NOPE. I hate that I can't get the red cloud off (it's not a sticker- it's part of the jacket) but my desire for a signed copy won out. We all know all about this beautiful book. You're probably just surprised it's not #1 or #2. While I do really love this book, there are 4 books that I love even more. You'll also notice that I don't have any other John Green books on this list. I've only read 2, and I did NOT like the other one. I won't tell you what it is (forgot to include it in my stand-alone book reviews. OOPS!) but it will be included in my next stand-alone book reviews post. Anyway, this book is great and I sobbed all the way through it. Also, I read both this and The Perks of Being a Wallflower for the first time in the same day last August. Bad decision. All the feels.

#4: All-American Girl

by Meg Cabot

I'm honestly not sure how well-known this book is. For the longest time during my childhood, this was my favorite book. You can probably tell how many times I've read it just because of how beat up the book is. It was brand new when I got it. I haven't always been so nice to my books. Anyway, I remember getting this at a book fair. My memory says that it was in 4th grade, but it doesn't seem to fit timeline-wise, because I feel like I read it before that. Maybe I got it in 2nd or 3rd grade? I dunno. It took me a while before I actually read it, but once I did, I fell in love. I recognize now that it's not actually an amazing book, but I've read it so many times and loved it for so long that I just can't help but continue to love it. This book is a heavier dose of nostalgia than even Harry Potter, because I read it before I read Harry Potter. And yes, this book technically has a sequel, but it's terrible and I pretend it doesn't exist.

#3: Unsaid Things... Our Story

by McFly

This may be obvious since it's at my #3 spot, but I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. I've mentioned this several times on here, but McFly is my favorite band. And I don't mean it in a way where I'm just a casual fan and I just like their music. I love all four of these guys and I absolutely love reading the story of the band from their POV. I'll be the first one to say that this book isn't for everyone. This isn't one of those deep autobiographies that can be enjoyed even if you don't know much about the person. It's not an incredibly written piece of literature. It's for the fans. It gives fans an inside look into the entire history of the band. For me, it's the emotional connection I have to the band that causes me to love this book so much. I laughed, I cried, and I laughed some more. It's great. 

So, we're now getting down to the nitty-gritty. Going into this list, I already knew which books would be in the top 2 spots, so that should be an indication of how much I absolutely, completely love these two books. 

#2: Thirteen Reason Why

by Jay Asher

I remember seeing this book in Barnes & Noble right after it was released in 2009 and thinking that it was a really cool concept. But I hadn't ever heard of it, and didn't want to pay full-price for a brand-new hardcover. Fast-forward about a year, when I found it for $7 at Half-Price Books. I recognized it and remembered how awesome the concept had sounded, so I decided to get it. One of the best decisions I've ever made. Like I said, I thought this concept was really interesting, and I think it was really well executed (unlike Jay Asher's other book on this list, The Future of Us). This book is just so emotional, and I love the back and forth between Hannah's story and Clay's story. Overall, it's just an amazing, tear-jerking book. I love it. So much.

#1: And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

I don't even know what all to say about this book. It's just... so perfect. There's a reason that this is the best-selling mystery book ever. This is the most intricately and brilliantly concocted mystery... ever. When I got to the final reveal, I was awe-struck and amazed. I've read this book countless times, and even though I know what happens I still love it every time. I don't know what else to say... it's incredibly written, an incredibly clever mystery, and just an amazing book. I love it so much.

Books That Will Hopefully Make My Next List!

So, as I said, I plan on updating my list every 6 months or so. The following books are the stand-alones that I definitely, positively, plan to read within the next 6 months. And since I really want to read these books, I also hope that I like them enough for them to make it onto my list!

Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline

Forget "within the next six months." I plan on reading this immediately upon finishing my reading challenge at the end of July. I've been wanting to read this for forever and finally ordered it off Amazon. Just having it sitting on my shelves has upped my desire to read it. I'm so excited. It sounds exactly like something I'll enjoy. I just hope I'm not over-hyping myself for it.

The Book Thief

by Marcus Zusak

I've heard so many amazing things about this book. This is TheLittleBookOwl's favorite book, and nearly every booktuber has read it and loved it. I feel like I'm pretty behind because I haven't read this book. I've had it sitting on my shelf since March-ish, so I feel like I need to get on this soon.

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloan

I've wanted to read this book for quite a while, and have had it sitting on my shelf for about the same length of time as The Book Thief. It just sounds like the most perfect book for a book lover. I mean, it's about a bookstore! It doesn't get much more interesting than that!

Asylum

by Madeleine Roux

I have a very specific plan for this book. I want to have a Halloween/ horror theme for the books I'm reading in October, so I'm going to read this then, along with a few other creepy books. I got this one last month, and had been eyeing it for quite a while before getting it, so I'm really ready to get into it!

Vicious

by V.E. Schwab

The concept behind this book is just super interesting. Several booktubers that I watch absolutely love this book, and I trust their opinions. Therefore, I'm really hoping that I love this as much as they love it. Anti-heroes are just super cool.

So, there you go, those were my top 15 stand-alones, and the stand-alones that I hope make the list next time around! Have you read these books? How do you feel about them? What books are your favorite stand-alones?

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