Ralsie

Most random and chaotic taste in books you'll ever see, will read almost anything.

710 points

0% overlap

My Taste

The Ruin of Kings (A Chorus of Dragons, #1)

Reading...

Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine

Ralsie finished reading and left a rating...

Ralsie

Oct 05, 2025

3.5

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

Ralsie started reading...

Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine

Kelly Loudenberg

Celebrity romances have always captured the public’s imagination, playing out like soap operas seized upon by fans and tabloids alike. By the same token, high-profile trials can take over the mainstream media cycle, with both news pundits and the public picking over every detail to predict outcomes and cast their own judgements. Enter the union, dissolution, and hostile legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard—and these dual obsessions collided in a chaotic moment of true cultural fixation. Hollywood Vampires offers an inside account of one of the most controversial and consequential celebrity scandals of the internet era. Fueled by viral clips, reaction videos, and endless online debates, the trial became more than a legal battle. It became a public spectacle, dividing audiences worldwide. Enter Kelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey–journalists on the ground for the Depp vs Heard trial. Having embedded with both Johnny and Amber and their camps, they spent months leading up to and following the trial, interviewing the couple’s closest allies as well as their managers, lawyers, agents, business associates, publicists, assistants, and personal staff. The result is a page-turning Hollywood epic full of revealing added details that tell a wider tale about the celebrity-industrial complex, modern fandom, inflammatory culture wars, and contemporary feminism. Turning the lens around, Hollywood Vampires questions how the Hollywood exploitation machine, strengthened by the forces of social media and legacy media alike, blurs the lines between fact and fiction, comedy and horror. It exposes how platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter transformed a courtroom-a pillar of justice-into a digital feeding frenzy where misinformation spread as fast as breaking news. It also forces us to ask ourselves why we take celebrity culture so seriously in the first place—and who wins and who loses when Hollywood becomes the vehicle for our own personal and political causes.

Ralsie wants to read...

Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture

AJ Wolfe

A fascinating and enlightening deep dive into the infamous Disney Adult community from the woman behind the popular website The Disney Food Blog. Disney Adults are grown-ups who derive singular, almost obsessive, joy from all things Disney. They devote countless hours and millions of dollars to Disney offerings, whether or not they have children. They’re avid fans of the films, devotees of the Disney theme parks, collectors of the vast world of Disney merchandise, cosplayers who dress in clothing inspired by Disney characters. Their ranks are so large and their cultural impact so distinct that they have their own moniker and are an economic force unto themselves. They’re often maligned in the larger culture and put on a particularly high pedestal of cringe. But in truth, their obsessive fandom hints at a universal desire for pleasure and joy, for magic and escape. There are darker sides to Disney mania that can’t be ignored, but the ranks of the Disney Adult community are broad, deep, and ever-growing. Disney Adults are a telling microcosm of modern America, highlighting the value we place on magic and escapism, and what we deem to be “acceptable” sources of joy. Disney Adults dives deep into a misunderstood subculture, exploring the lives and experiences of a fascinating community to better understand its devotees’ unwavering passion for all things Disney, why it offends, and why it matters.

Ralsie commented on a List

14h

Morbidly Curious Book Club 🖤📚

by endless_tbr_list

53 books

All books selected to read by the Morbidly Curious Book Club. This list will be updated when new reads are announced!

💀

👻

🔬

The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party

The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis

The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

Ralsie wants to read...

17h

All Woven With Ivy

Thea Hawthorne

He's as glittering and enchanting as the ballrooms he commands. She is as shadowed and quiet as the catacombs she studies. And yet his gaze finds her through every crowd. Historian Zanthi Ilyston has never been likeable. She is too quiet, too plain and her strange eyes, while they allow her to see the unseen, unnerve others. All she wants is to disappear into a quiet life of research. Madoc Casca, heir to the famed healing Gardens, and Esk’s most notorious socialite, has other plans. He needs her help. The healing waters of the Gardens are failing, and the secret to saving them is hidden in an ancient myth that refuses to be remembered. As she delves deeper into the dark waters of the past, her quiet life becomes as impossible to reclaim as Madoc is to ignore. He is everything she has never let herself want, but if she can't untangle the secrets of a forgotten history, she might lose him forever. Because there is very little Madoc won’t sacrifice for his Gardens, and if the healing waters vanish into darkness, Madoc will too. All Woven With Ivy is a bi MF fantasy romance with light academia, medium stakes, darkly cosy vibes, Orpheus & Eurydice undertones, and a glittering queernormative society steeped with the creeping unease of underworld myth. It is the first book in the interconnected and overlapping Riversent series. Each book follows a different couple and has a HEA.

Ralsie commented on a List

17h

Third Places

by lotty

16 books

Third places or "good great places" are social surroundings and gathering spots for relaxation or recreation that are separate from your home (first place) and work (second place). Think cafés, bookshops, parks, community centers. Recommendations welcome! 🥰

🥰

☕

🫂

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)

The Full Moon Coffee Shop (The Full Moon Coffee Shop, #1)

Ralsie commented on a post

17h

The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives, #1)

Pipsy

Thoughts from 34% (page 147)

“She let out a strained little laugh. “What isn’t wrong right now?””

This shows how characters grab onto a bit of light even in total mess. So real and a touch heartbreaking, but with that tone that makes us smile too. 🥺

Ralsie commented on a post

18h

katbert

Edited

Thoughts from 75%

spoilers

View spoiler

Ralsie commented on Ralsie's update

Ralsie earned a badge

Fantasy and Sci-Fi with a Side of Romance

Silver: Finished 10 Main Quest books.

Ralsie earned a badge

Fantasy and Sci-Fi with a Side of Romance

Silver: Finished 10 Main Quest books.

Ralsie commented on a post

NuclearRemorse

Thoughts from 100% (page 292)

Are there rumours to a sequel? Im not sure yet and don’t have the opportunity to look it up right now. I did love the ending, but I need more because I loved it sooo much.

Ralsie commented on a post

Jake99

some suggestions 🌈

This quest really is one of my favourites, there's already so many books on it that have been sitting on my TBR until now, but I hope to get to them soon! 🤗

Since this is such a big genre, it makes sense that not every single book that fits can be added to the quest, but I would still like to provide some suggestions (if only for other enjoyers of the genre) 😇

From my finished books:

The Disasters by M.K. England
Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot
The Dragon of Ynys by Minerva Cerridwen
Finna (LitenVerse, #1) by Nino Cipri

From my TBR:

The Sunbearer Trials (The Sunbearer Duology, #1) by Aiden Thomas
Infinity Alchemist (Infinity Alchemist, #1) by Kacen Callender
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (The Salvagers, #1) by Alex White
Winter's Orbit (Winter's Orbit, #1) by Everina Maxwell
Seven Devils (Seven Devils, #1) by L.R. Lam
Bonds of Brass (The Bloodright Trilogy, #1) by Emily Skrutskie
The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
Persephone Station by Stina Leicht
Half Bad (The Half Bad Trilogy, #1) by Sally Green
The Library of the Unwritten (Hell's Library #1) by A.J. Hackwith

Ralsie joined a quest

LGBTQ+ Sci-Fi & Fantasy 🏳️‍🌈🪐🦄

🏆 // 1680 joined

Not Joined

Magical empires, far-flung galaxies, robotic dystopias, haunted academies—queerness belongs in every world.

Ralsie commented on a post

misunosa

Thoughts from 83%

I finally understand more of this book than in the beginning, I just feel I'm part of a minority that isn't 100% in love with this...

Post from the Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine forum

Ralsie

Thoughts from 22% (page 73)

Reading about Johnny and Amber's wedding ceremony and how checked out and minimally involved Depp seemed to be (he didn't invite any of his friends except one, apparenty most of the guests were from Amber's side; one of his two personal assistant's didn't even know the island ceremony was happening; his daughter and mother weren't even present at the second ceremony on the island (!!!); everything was just rushed for no real reason; right before the first civil service ceremony he admitted to his head of security that he doesn't really want to do this) is just so baffling, why was even still with her then??? Midlife crises and men thinking with their dicks and all that, sure, but still.... really? Was it just because she was young and hot? I know love and feelings aren't logical and rational, but still, you'd think someone of his Depp's star power could have found someone else young and hot (if that's really all it was ever about) that made him less miserable?

I started reading this becausde I didn't really keep up with all the details of the trial while it was happening, so I thought this book would make for a nice refresher of the whole saga. So far so good, although the authors' sympathies are pretty heavily skwewed in Johnny's favour. I wonder if Amber will get the same treatment in a latter chapter?

It's really such a pity that more people haven't read this yet because I keep wanting to see all the different reactions and status updates 🥲😭😭

Ralsie started reading...

Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine

Kelly Loudenberg

Ralsie wants to read...

The Birth House

Ami McKay

The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare, the first daughter to be born in five generations of Rares. As a child in an isolated village in Nova Scotia, she is drawn to Miss Babineau, an outspoken Acadian midwife with a gift for healing. Dora becomes Miss B.’s apprentice, and together they help the women of Scots Bay through infertility, difficult labours, breech births, unwanted pregnancies and even unfulfilling sex lives. Filled with details as compelling as they are surprising, The Birth House is an unforgettable tale of the struggles women have faced to have control of their own bodies and to keep the best parts of tradition alive in the world of modern medicine.

Ralsie commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

Teletubiss

Edited

Series - books recommendations

Hii everyone. Ive got a little idea. How about we write our favorite series / movies to watch and others will recommend us a book based on our choice? Im really looking foward to reading some of those recommendations!!

101

Ralsie commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

nezuu

tfw an author is so skilled at writing that you literally sit up in your seat and lock in

i just finished a full day of work, dissociated through my online class for my master's program and decided to get at least a few pages of reading in before i inevitably pass out, just to be actually shocked awake at the way this author writes LOL. the prose is so beautifully written, the imagery is so well-done without any overused phrases/comparisons and i literally can't remember the last time i felt this way about a book? i haven't stayed up all night reading in nearly a decade, but i might just pull an allnighter tonight omg

if anyone has recs that have made them feel this way, please send them my way, i appreciate all of you!!

Ralsie commented on punkerella's update

punkerella DNF'd a book

The New Age of Sexism: How AI and Emerging Technologies Are Reinventing Misogyny

Laura Bates

Misogyny is being hardwired into our future. Can we stop it? We like to believe we’re moving closer to equality, riding the wave of technological progress into a brighter, fairer future. But beneath the glossy surface of innovation lies a chilling truth: new technologies are not just failing to solve age-old inequalities—they’re deepening them. In The New Age of Sexism, acclaimed author and activist Laura Bates exposes how misogyny is being coded into the very fabric of our future. From the biases embedded in artificial intelligence to the alarming rise of sex robots and the toxic dynamics of the metaverse, Bates takes readers on a shocking journey into a world where technology is weaponized against women. This isn’t a dystopian warning about what might happen. It’s a harrowing account of what’s happening now and the dangers we face if we don’t act. With clarity and urgency, Bates reveals how these advancements are dragging society backward, reinforcing harmful stereotypes, and jeopardizing decades of progress in the fight for gender equality. Eye-opening and empowering, The New Age of Sexism is a rallying cry for awareness and action in a world where the battle for equality has entered a dangerous new frontier.

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