"I don’t know if the fourth one is like an extra" made me giggle knowing the fourth book is literally called Extras

@eddisianc8639

20 күн бұрын

It was my favorite of the series

@kayden8093

18 күн бұрын

for anyone confused you can skip extras and feel satisfied but I don't think anyone should

@brookelee9745

17 күн бұрын

Scott actually added onto the series and there’s 3 additional books.

@hockeygrrlmuse

10 күн бұрын

Extras is the only one I still own & even occasionally reread. I got really into scriptwriting a few years back and started working on adapting it to film - it's got a completely different focus that I think is a lot more relevant to us today than the original trilogy.

Oh my god, why is it such a THING to have vague memories of this book??

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

It was an experience 😭

@user-lh8im2vy8e

24 күн бұрын

The only thing I remember about it aside from the basic premise is her eating "spagbol"--that really stuck with me for some reason

@raec8362

24 күн бұрын

@@user-lh8im2vy8e the spagbol really made a mark on me too?? i guess i thought it sounded good lol and i somehow didn’t put it together til wayyyyy later that it mean spaghetti bolognese 😭

@pippapike

24 күн бұрын

@@user-lh8im2vy8e I have always always thought of spaghetti bolognese as "spagbol" for some reason. Now I know the reason. 🤣

@veronical3523

24 күн бұрын

Cari how did you get access to my personal library on notion, who sent you the list because you are hitting The Classics

I remember reading the opening line about the sky looking like cat vomit when I was like 11 years old and thinking "holy crap this is gonna be amazing!" lmaoooo

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Its certainly memorable hahhaha

@saraheliselong1298

15 күн бұрын

Same LOL

One thing I always thought was interested about this series is that the writing changes as Tally changes. Like it gets ‘better’ when she’s evil, worse when she’s pretty, etc. The complexity of the writing style changes as her complexity changes! So cool!

@himboking

6 күн бұрын

the scene of her catching the arrows in the third one will never leave my brain

whispering "siri" felt dystopian haha

@IgnisRex64

15 күн бұрын

Honestly that whole sentene was the wildest thing I've heard all week.

@hermitcrab123

11 күн бұрын

@@IgnisRex64 i was listening to this in the background and when i heard her say it i literally stopped the video and repeated the bit like 4 times to make sure i heard her right

TALLY-WA AND SHAY-LA THIS DREDGED UP SUPPRESSED MEMORIES

@trulyAmatulHaqq

12 күн бұрын

Omg I had a friend named Taliyah and I totally called her Tally-wa from this book haha

My teacher read the first book to my 5th(?) grade class. I distinctly remember Tally thinking "why is that Ugly so happy?" when she saw an old Rusties ad with a swimsuit model. Blew my 11 year old mind that a modern model would be considered an Ugly

@hannahbray7065

14 күн бұрын

I remember that exact moment too! And when they were looking through the magazine and calling the celebrities “almost-pretties”. I was gagged.

NO WAYY Im so excited your reading this book, I read this as a tween and noone ever talks about it!!! I always thought of it more in the same vein as Giver but less academic

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

right?!!!

@In_TheMoonlight

24 күн бұрын

I certainly read it originally while being obsessed with the Giver and I concur with that assessment

@Dandidoodles

16 күн бұрын

I had to read Uglies AND The Giver in my 6th grade language arts class 💀

This book actually traumatized me lmao and I didn't realize until I was older. I have this REALLY specific fear of not taking all of my required pills if they're like antidepressants or something and when I explained it to my sister I was like "Well, because....because of the nanobot pills. In the Uglies?"

@taylorg2320

22 күн бұрын

So not to armchair diagnose, but have you ever gotten yourself assessed for OCD? It's common for people who are predisposed to OCD to have their symptoms triggered by a specific piece of media. I'm willing to bet that if you really stop to think about it, your medication might not be the only thing that you tend to have compulsions for. It might be a good idea to get assessed, because there's really good therapy for it that actually genuinely works.

@samesamesame2

22 күн бұрын

@@taylorg2320 ahaha i don't mind the armchair diagnose because i actually was diagnosed with ocd a little over a decade ago for separate reasons that have nothing to do with the uglies, but this is a hilarious connection and turn of events

The only thing I remember from Uglies is all the SpagBol they eat.

@cassandracornwell7595

10 күн бұрын

Yes😂 Ide never heard of it before this book, this word alone dredged up a memory

@Vulpix298

3 күн бұрын

@@cassandracornwell7595 that's so interesting because spagbol is how we normally refer to spaghetti bolognese here in Aotearoa

cari: this book was written in the mid 2000s also cari: this book was really timely even though it was written ten years ago 😭😭😭😭😭

@RPG5rule

24 күн бұрын

the mid 2000s will always be 10 years ago. my brain can't process anything else

@JeanetHenning

24 күн бұрын

The sad thing is, my brain didn't see anything wrong with that statement 😭

Scott Westerfeld also did a series called Midnighters where only certain people experienced a secret 25th hour of the day. Its pretty good from what I remember. There were monsters that only appeared in this extra hour and it was such an original idea

@xLadyRaine

24 күн бұрын

i remember that series but didn’t finish it. i did remember liking his duology about vampires

@martham496

24 күн бұрын

The way that series is one of my Roman Empires. I loved it so much

@CelticGuardian7

24 күн бұрын

Whoa, I had completely forgotten this series existed! You brought back the memory of me reading the first book. XD IIRC the main character was able to use things that required electricity during the hidden hour when nobody else could? It's foggy but I do recall how the cover looked!

@Nomurai89

24 күн бұрын

Those 13 letter words had me guessing so much when I had to read them aloud to my sister. Ended up making up words at some point hahaha

@jessbickel2095

24 күн бұрын

OH MY GOD I’ve been trying to remember what those books were called for YEARS 💀 thank you 😭

You should definitely read “Unwind” by Neal Shusterman. It’s about a dystopian world where they allowed parents to sign an order for their children between the ages of 13 and 18 to be "unwound" - taken to "harvest camps" and dissected into their body parts for later use. It was soooooo good

@sydneyforrest9949

10 күн бұрын

Omg, none of my friends ever read this or knew about it! I'm glad I saw your comment. It was such a good series.

@nyssalynn5216

Күн бұрын

Yes! Crow caller just did a massive breakdown of the whole series

Scott Westerfeld somehow managed to write three book series that I still think about to this day. The Midnighters and Leviathan trilogies were truly my whole personality as a teenager

@kyoyameganebereznoff

24 күн бұрын

Did you see that Leviathan is getting an anime adaptation from Studio Orange?

@laurenjackson4175

24 күн бұрын

Omg leviathan was sooooo good I think I need to reread

@martham496

24 күн бұрын

@@kyoyameganebereznoff um no and now I’m very excited!

@anaiscoralie1708

18 күн бұрын

Wait, I was obsessed with Leviathan!! I did not remember the existance of these books lol

@midlandindiana1730

9 күн бұрын

Oh my god??? I had no idea he wrote the leviathan trilogies too, I read those books back in 2013 in middle school when I wasn't looking too hard at authors 😭

I love the language in this series only because it’s so much like things are now. Happy-making or something-making is JUST like looks-maxing now. And people use ___-maxing for everything. Language is so cool

@fairycat23

13 күн бұрын

Bubbly and bogus are just based and cringe if we took an alternate path.

@notwithoutpizza4702

9 күн бұрын

@@fairycat23had such a visceral reaction to this my God

You just made me google “when was MySpace popular” as if I didn’t live through that era 😂 turns out it started in 2003

@bunny_koo

24 күн бұрын

I was born around then 😭

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Right?! I have no concept of time hahah but for me myspace was peak 2005-2008!!

@MykkiOnTheCusp

24 күн бұрын

Oof, I had a custom Myspace layout that played music. I was 14. What an era....lol

@probablynargles

24 күн бұрын

Ohhhh yeah. I was definitely html coding my profile at 13 🤣🤣

Why is the roller coaster hover craft scene seared into so many of our brains??! I swear that and the first line about the sunset were some of the only specific memories I had of this book. I loved this revisit to a childhood classic! Nostalgia at a 10/10 💕

Blast from the past. There’s supposed to be an adaptation coming this year too so this is a great way for me to revisit the world

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

I cant believe we’re getting one 10 years later ahhah

@MeMyshelfAndI

24 күн бұрын

@@caricanread 20 years later 😅

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

omfg 💀💀💀

@pointegal96

24 күн бұрын

WAIT WHAT

Unlocked a core memory with this one 😭😭

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

😊😊😊

The plot of this book kind of reminds me of the bizarre beauty standards set in Korea

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Of the entire world tbh

I enjoyed these books but hated Tally's toxic friendship with her "bestie" Anyways, I've always wanted this book to turn into a TV series. With the cgi we have today, it would make the characters look so cool!

Croy is the craziest name for a character and using Troy’s picture makes me wheeze! Great video 🍝

@jacforswear18

18 күн бұрын

I had to pause to have a little Croy-induced meltdown 😂

I read this series as a 7th grader and it affected my whole personality for like a year afterwards in good and bad ways 😭Can't wait to watch this video!

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

💗💗💗

to 12 year old me this series ate DOWNNNN

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

😂😂😂

I picked this up ages ago because my sister had this book. I remember very clearly that the first sentence has something about cat vomit and I immediately closed the book and was like nope, not for me. 😂

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Hahaha i did NOT remember and it threw me hahaha

I used to be OBSESSED with this series!! you should read Extras, that one was WILD and you might be surprised how that one hits now. Scott is a very nice man, I met him and his wife who is also an author when I was in middle school! a highlight of my young years!

I’m so sad that you didn’t mention Zane’s death!!!! That had me bawling when I was a teenager!!!

the novelette is literally how i experience the world as an aroace person! its crazy that my reality is so specific its a thought experiment

@Kelseybeee

5 күн бұрын

Me too and I was thinking the same thing! It’s not exactly the same, but it seems like a closer experience than being allosexual

“even though it was written 10 years ago” The pain i felt when i realized it was almost 20 years ago 😅 I read this series when i was younger and i loved it!!! the hover boards has been a constant in my brain almost since then

the imposter series by the same author is quite good too. I have not read the last book but till then, its REALLY engaging. Set in the same world as this, the imposter series is like post-ugly world. There is a man who is like very powerful (if i remember correctly, he was the president or something? like the ruler of the place) and he has a daughter- or that's what people think. Actually he has TWO daughters and they are twins. But the thing is the no one knows about the other twin because she is being made a weapon, a shield for her twin sister. If they have to go to a dangerous place or anything, SHE is sent in place of her in order to keep the other one safe. Now she is being sent to a place to live with these people (who are rulers of some other place or something) and like impersonate her sister. Its really good to read.

Girl I’ve been saying “sad-making” and “happy-making” for years and years and couldn’t remember why 😭

"I don't know if the fourth book is like an extra or what" made me laugh so hard 😭😭😭

I remember these!!! Not only the series, but my library actually had a guide book for like. The world of the uglies. I want to say it was called "From Bogus to Bubbly"? I have vague memories of bringing it on vacation one time and reading it to my grandma

@CelestiaLily

23 күн бұрын

As someone who dug up my whole collection for this, "Bogus to Bubbly" is such a fun read lmao -- it's got hoverboard instructions, explains a bit about Japanese honorifics, and other inspirations behind all the fictional stuff in the series. I also found _Mind-Rain: Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Series_ -- a collection of small essays, literary analysis, historical context, metatextual discussions, short stories with related/inspired themes, technological speculation, etc that probably blew my mind as a kid lmao

Literally read this series when I was 15 and I was OBSESSED! Wanted a movie so bad

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Right?! Well apparently its been picked up but just needs to be released 😭

Lawd, the way 14 yo me loved these books. I was so heartbroken over Zane. Also, the way the breaking of that ice rink is burned into my brain. And im with you on the hoverboards too - etched into my memory for some reason 😅

I remember in 8th grade (which was like late 2010s for me) that the Uglies was one of the choices we had for our monthly book in English class 💀

I TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THESE BOOKS they haunt me to this day!!! And nobody in my friend circle has read them. This is healing, thank you.

I loved these books. I read them when there were only three of them and Tally's journey just really hit me in an empowering place. I loved how her role in the society changed for each book and that changed how she interacted with the society in general. The fourth one is kind it's own thing, there's a timeskip involved, but I thought it was good for what it was.

When I tell you that first line haunted every single sunset of my high school years... So excited to be revisiting this amazing series with you! I remember being genuinely hooked by the story and messaging, it's so good! 💖

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

😂🐈😭

Loved this series when I was freshman. My friend group shared the books and it was the first series that made us have book related discussion, I'll always appreciate it for that. I remember in the book instead of the characters saying something made them happy, they would say "thats happy making" and that stayed in my vernacular for a loooong time lol

This series was my--heck, everything Scott Westerfeld wrote--entire personality in hs. Entire.

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

🙏🙏🙏

I’m a little afraid to hear your thoughts because this was the series that really got me into reading as a kid. Also, the fourth is literally called extras 😂 and there have been a couple cover changes but the first set is the best.

Babe wake up, Cari just posted

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

😊💗

@3bellam

24 күн бұрын

real

I just realized what this concept reminds me of! there was an episode of Adventure Time where Finn and Jake had to help Lumpy Space Princess in Lumpy Space (I think she was losing her lumps)... in order to fit with the party her friends dragged her to, Finn and Jake had to touch an orb that gave them lumps and the vapid talk... lol!

@allthebrighttplaces

22 күн бұрын

omg yess i kept thinking about adventure time listening Cari all along. The old society collapsing also reminded me of 'Mushroom War'

@kayden8093

17 күн бұрын

the episode actually involves LSP biting Jake by accident and turning him lumpy. the orb makes lumpy people smooth while they're holding it but it's also the cure to lumpyness, in that if you've been bitten but touch the orb before sunset you get to go back

@katrosemond6411

17 күн бұрын

@@kayden8093 that's it! it's been a minute since I watched AT and my brain is leaky... lol!

@Vulpix298

3 күн бұрын

@@kayden8093 so it's rabies?

@kayden8093

3 күн бұрын

@@Vulpix298 pretty much, yeah, although I'd think of it as more of a warewolf/vampire thing

I have a vivid memory of freshman year of high school hiding my Kindle behind my textbook pretending to study for finals, but I actually speed reading through this whole series. I was obsessed

this series was HUGE to me as a kid omg..... I don't think I ever read it multiple times like I did with other series, but scenes and concepts from it are still rattling around in my head to this day!! god. huge fricking throwback!!!

Oh my gosh, i can’t believe you’re reading these. 😭 I also have a vague memory of solely the first book, despite knowing there are more. I can’t wait to hear your takes. Also, I like the original covers so much more!

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

💗

You should read the cold awakening trilogy if you can. I read it like in 2008 or 2009 but the book stuck in my head for some reason. It’s YA and sci-fi and dystopian as well. Here’s the book description of it: The Download was supposed to change the world. It was supposed to mean the end of aging, the end of death, the birth of a new humanity. But it wasn’t supposed to happen to someone like Lia Kahn. And it wasn’t supposed to ruin her life. Lia knows she should be grateful she didn’t die in the accident. The Download saved her-but it also changed her, forever. She can deal with being a freak. She can deal with the fear in her parents’ eyes and the way her boyfriend flinches at her touch. But she can’t deal with what she knows, deep down, every time she forces herself to look in the mirror: She’s not the same person she used to be. Maybe she’s not even a person at all.

regarding 'lookism' i really recommend the book "disfigured" by amanda leduc! it's a nonfic but traces back why we see "ugly" or disabled people as inherently less than pretty/abled people and a lot of it stems from the fairytales/media we were exposed to from a young age!

I remember my older sister reading it and even though I was very much into the dystopian YA book wave, I never got around to reading these. I'm feeling nostalgic so now I'm kinda interested 🤣🤣🤣

FINALLY SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT THIS SERIES IVE BEEN WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE YALL

I constantly bring up the uglies series (ESPECIALLY EXTRAS) and how it’s so relevant to influencer culture today!!! I’ve read it so many times as a kid, but going back as an adult in 2018 blew My Mind.

With all that's going on today, the concept of this book hits different.

I have a signed copy of this book and it was such a fever dream book. i really like the themes tho and feel like it’s applicable today

Omg!! This is one of the first series I've ever read where I remember waiting and waiting for the next book. And all i remember now are the hoverboard scenes, so excited to watch this 🤭 a lil refresh ❤

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Right?! The hoverboard on the rollercoaster is burned into my mind!

@NavitaNoira

24 күн бұрын

​@@caricanread YESSS that scene! It fueled my childhood daydreams for monthsss

seeing more creators revisit books they loved when they were younger and I'm so here for it!! this unearthed such a specific memory of me reading book one and then being so irritated with book two i couldn't finish it lol

Omg ! I remember I saw this in middle school ! The nostalgia 😭😭

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Right?! 😭 im glad im not the only one!

Ahhhh this is my FAVORITE series. I return to it probably once a year. So happy to see you talking about it!

I way I was absolutely obsessed with these books when I was in high school 😂 I reread them when I was like 29 and actually still enjoyed them. Maybe that’s because of the nostalgia factor, but it felt like they stood the test of time lol. Love listening to your commentary and remembering a time before social media was so pervasive, and also feeling like the author predicted the future a little bit.

I AM LIVING THIS IS MY GUILTY PLEASUEE SERIES FROM BACK IN THE DAY

The fact that the hoverboards work with a belly button ring lives rent-free in my brain. I also have lots of vague memories of the series. One of the vague memories that I like the most is the city that lets people decide how they want to look and I remember how freakish those people looked to tally. And if I had a choice, that would be the city I want to live in.

This series started my obsession w sci fi fantasy when I was like 12 and I have been chasing that initial high ever since

honestly THIS was theeeeee ya series for me. Like, idk i went back to this one more than even the hunger games

I LOVE these types of videos, whether I’ve read the book or not I love how you explain things. I can never articulate my thoughts like this! You have such a calming aura

Yessss I’m so excited you are reading this It’s one of my favorite series and I can’t find hardly anyone who read it

So fun to see you doing a video on these books! I remember when I was younger going to library and devouring these books because I thought they were so good, but then hardly anyone I knew was reading them. It’s so interesting to see how much it can be related to social media and the obsession with beauty today. I connect that when I think about these books.

I was in college when these came out, and I remember giving them serious side eye. Now, all these years later, I have you to tell me what they were really like! Seriously, I really love these videos where you explain to me a book that maybe wasn't for my demographic, or wasn't my cup of tea. I know most of your crew are probably younger, but as an old(ish), I forget that and just enjoy your videos. Thanks for making work more pleasant.

THANK YOU I tried to reread this last year but had to tap out early. This is the perfect recap I needed ❤

ahhh I’ve been wanting to re-read these too!! I mainly just remembered the way I pictured the world when I was reading it!

ahh so glad you covered these. I remember seeing them ALL the time in library’s YA room, but I really didn’t like the title so I never picked them up. Glad to know what they’re about 13 years later!!

oh my god i LOVED this series when it was released and then I forgot all about it until I saw this thumbnail and all the old memories came rushing back. What a blast from the past!

Having a rough mental health day - heading into a 40+ hour weekend at work - and felt so relieved to see a video from you, Cari! Thank you thank you

LOVE the Ted Chiang interlude! i just read the short story collection that has the arrival story and liking what you see and LOVED it

I'm so glad you made it to this series. While I was watching you recap the mortal instruments (which I read at a similar time) I was kinda hoping you would eventually do this one!!! This one definitely really imprinted on me pretty strongly. Thank you for revisiting this part of my childhood and taking a thoughtful look at the complex themes it explores

Oh my gosh, you mentioned a series in your wrap up and I was thinking maybe it’d be this one!!! This was a formative series for me. ❤

Oh my gosh I was obsessed with this series! This has been so much fun!

I read this series growing up, and it was what made me love sci-fi dystopian novels. This was the OG for me. Loved it.

commenting ahead of watching for the algorithm and to say OH MY GOD same brain, cari, i was thinking about tiktok and instagram beauty standards and was like wait. i read this book in high school. i ordered the book and put it in my tbr pile to see if it still holds up, because i remember the first two books being a decent read, but it seemed especially relevant in our 2024. SOOOOO excited to see you reading it too!! ✨

yes! I loved this series. I read and reread these in middle school. I had them on my ipad and it was the first series that I read fully on my ipad

I remember reading all four books in a row. I STRONGLY remember reading EXTRAs at age 15 and being like "Are those girls cutting themselves ? That's not a good moral for teenagers. 🙃"

@eyesofthecervino3366

2 күн бұрын

Not to mention Tally and Zane trying to break out of pretty-mindedness by starving themselves and abusing caffiene and "metabolism boosting diet pills," haha.

I loves this series so much in middle school. I even drew that tattoo on the specials cover onto my face and had a whole photoshoot 😂 love that you did this video

This was one of my favorite series as a teen! I'm so excited to watch this❤

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

💗💗💗

the whole time you were explaining the premise of this series i was thinking "MAN this is just making me want to reread that short story by ted chiang" so was really pleased to hear you talk about it!!! if you enjoyed liking what you see / arrival (have you read the story it's based on?? one of my all time faves) i highly highly recommend both of chiang's short story collections

I think about this book all the time because I remember like 2% if it and I’m so glad you made this

I LOVED this entire series when I was younger!!

Yessss!!!! I loved this series when I was a kid, so nostalgic 😭

This was such a cozy, nostalgic video-I love these recaps for when I want to be told a story but don’t want to read/reread the book!

Only starting the video now and I'm so excited! I remember reading the first book and for some reason never finishing the series but I loved it!

the way that the spagbol chapter is permanently etched into my brain is insane, i will never call spaghetti bolognese anything else

It’s wild they’re turning it into a movie and with Joey King no less???

THIS WAS MY WHOLE CHILDHOOD OMG I never expected her to make a video about this 😭

OMG!!! i read this book series around the young adult dystopian novels craze, I really liked it so this brings back memories

I am so excited to dive into this video! I vividly remember reading the series when I was a teen and (I am 32 now) I just re-read the entire series a year or two ago! I did enjoy it, surprisingly, probably partly due to the nostalgia. I did, however, recognize that there are certainly some problematic aspects of the series...

I've never heard of this book and have no intention to read it, but I always love your reading vlogs and reactions. also omg towards the end. the Ted Chiang mention! I bought his story collections back when you showed off the cover, and read it soon after. My thoughts during the start of this vid went straight to that story of TC about the beauty/tech! so interesting 🎉🎉❤❤

This is AMAZING! I loved this as a kid, can’t wait to hear you talk about it!

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Hehe thanks for watching!

I just KNEW it was gonna be the Uglies series when you mentioned it last video and wished I commented so I could have it in writing. 😂 I blew through this series in middle school, I loved it so much. Can't wait I to see what adult you has to say about it.

I look forward to your videos every week!! I’m so pumped 🤩

@caricanread

24 күн бұрын

Thank you!!

I absolutely LOVE this series, just finished rereading the first book yesterday because I wanted to get into it again

I never have watched any of your videos but when I saw the mention of Uglies/Pretties/Specials/Extras? Clicked instantly. This series shaped me so much as a kid. I also adored Westerfield’s other series Midnighters and Leviathan, but also his other books. Peeps was an interesting take on vampires. The Last Days is an unofficial sequel to Peeps, but follows a different group of characters in the same sort of setting. So Yesterday was another ahead of its time book, and focused on the marketing scene, cool hunters and culture jamming. Which yakno. Anyways great video! Love your personality.

ohhh, i haven't thought about this book in years!! i remember how both me and my friend bought a copy and then just discussed it together, hahaha! such a fun video, (and the short story addition was super interesting!!) thank you, cari, as always!