The Basics
So Many African Books is a mood-based fiction discovery app. Instead of showing you a catalogue to browse, it gives you one book recommendation at a time, matched to how you're feeling.
You pick a mood. You get one book. You decide what to do with it. That's it.
Step 1: Pick a Mood
When you land on the app, you'll see eight moods to choose from: Light, Sad, Romantic, Dark, Adventurous, Inspirational, Fun, and Tense.
Your mood is locked in for the rest of the day once you pick it. This is intentional. It stops you from endlessly switching in search of a "perfect" match. Your mood resets automatically at midnight.
Step 2: Get Your Recommendation
Once you pick a mood, you'll see one work of fiction by a writer of African descent. Each recommendation includes the book cover, title, author, country the author is from, a description, and sometimes an editorial note from us.
Step 3: Choose What to Do
Every recommendation gives you three options.
Choose: This takes you to a Google search for the book so you can find where to buy or borrow it.
Already Read: If you've already read it, select this. You'll be asked to rate the book, and it will be added to your Read History. It won't be recommended to you again.
Skip: The book is hidden from your recommendations for two months.
If you previously choose the book and are still in the middle of reading it and don't want to lose track of it, you can save it to Currently Reading before skipping.
Rating a Book
When you mark a book as Already Read, you'll be asked to rate it before it's saved. There are three options:
😍 Loved it—A favourite.
😐 It was fine—Not bad, not great.
🙅🏽♀️ Not for me—It wasn't your thing.
Your rating is saved alongside the book in your Read History. A rating is required to save the book, this keeps your history meaningful rather than just a list of titles you clicked through.
Currently Reading
Books you selected with "Choose" that you don't want to lose track of go into your Currently Reading list. You can hold up to five books there at a time.
You can access your Currently Reading list through My Shelf. From there, each book has two options.
Already Read: Opens the rating flow and moves the book to your Read History.
Skip: Removes the book from Currently Reading and hides it from recommendations for two months.
Read History
Every book you've marked as Already Read lives in your Read History, along with the rating you gave it. You can view it in two places. Through My Shelf on the main app, or on the dedicated Read History page.
Books in your Read History will not be recommended to you again.
Guest Mode vs. Having an Account
No account? You can still use the app. Guest mode gives you up to four recommendations a day, and your history lives in your browser. Switch devices or clear your cache and it's gone.
With a free account you get unlimited recommendations, and your entire reading history syncs across every device. Your shelf, your ratings, your Currently Reading—all there whenever you log back in.
Used the app as a guest first? Sign in and your history comes with you.
Creating an Account
Click Sign in in the top right corner. You can create a free account using your email address and a password, or sign in with Google.
If you use email, you'll need to enter your name, email address, and a password (minimum six characters). Your name is used to personalise your experience, it appears in your Shelf greeting.
If you already have an account and accidentally start signing up, the app will recognise your email and switch you to sign-in automatically and vice versa.
My Shelf
Once you're signed in, the Sign in button is replaced with My Shelf in the top right corner. Your Shelf is where everything lives.
Read History: All the books you've marked as read, with your ratings.
Currently Reading: Books you've saved to finish later.
Your Activity: A breakdown of choices you've made, such as how many books you've chosen, skipped, and marked as read, plus the moods you've picked most.
Your Activity
Your Activity shows a summary of how you've used the app: total choices made, how many books you've chosen, skipped, or marked as already read, and a breakdown of which moods you've picked most often.
Managing Your Account
Sign out: Found in My Shelf. Signs you out of your account on the current device. Your data stays saved to your account.
Delete account: Also in My Shelf. Permanently deletes your account and all associated data, including your reading history, ratings, and Currently Reading list. This cannot be undone. You'll need to type DELETE to confirm.
Forgot your password: On the sign-in form, click "Forgot your password?" and enter your email address. We'll send you a reset link.
What Happens if I Clear My Browser Data?
If you're using the app as a guest, all your reading history is stored in your browser. Clearing your browser data or switching to a different device will wipe it.
If you have an account, your data is stored securely in the cloud. You can clear your browser, switch devices, or use a different browser. Your history will always be there when you sign back in.
Why Only One Book at a Time?
Because endless lists are how you end up reading nothing. We give you one book matched to your mood, and you decide what to do with it. If it's not right, skip it. The next one is one tap away.
The SMAB Blog
The SMAB Blog is where we get into the books properly. Reviews, picks, hot takes, deep dives—whatever feels right. It runs alongside the app and covers African and diaspora fiction: mostly the things we couldn't stop thinking about.
Not everything comes from us. Readers, bookstagrammers, and bloggers who have something to say pitch in too. We feature community writing on the blog all the time.
Reviews go into specific books. Picks are recommendations for a particular feeling or moment. Takes are everything else—the stuff we wanted to write and couldn't fit anywhere else.
Every post has buttons to add the book straight to your Currently Reading or mark it as Already Read in the app. No searching needed.
Want to write something for us? Hit the contact button.
Still Have Questions?
Something not covered here, or something not working? Get in touch.