Help

Support

Mood Reader is an independent iOS app. Nick Shadel builds and supports it directly.

For anything at all — questions, bug reports, feature ideas, account deletion, existential doubt about a reading list — email hello@moodreaderapp.com.

Response time is typically within 48 hours, faster on weekdays.

Frequently asked questions

How does Mood Reader recommend books?

Two ways.

  1. Semantic prompts. Describe what to read in plain language — "something quiet and observant," "a romance that isn't formulaic," "whatever will pull me out of a slump" — and Mood Reader returns books that match the description, ranked by fit to taste.
  2. Ambient recommendations. As a library and reflections build up, Mood Reader learns taste and surfaces books it thinks you'll want next. Every recommendation includes a short rationale explaining why it fits.

What's a Self Portrait?

It's a written portrait of you as a reader — generated from the shape of a library and the reflections left along the way. It's not a personality quiz, not a genre list, and not a score. It's a close reading of what books, together, reveal about how someone thinks. Any line can get a response: agree, disagree, sit with it, or ask Mood Reader to elaborate.

Self Portrait becomes richer over time. It's meant to be revisited.

Do I need to import a whole library to get started?

No. The fastest path is adding ten favorite books of all time. Mood Reader can start recommending immediately from that. Full library imports (Goodreads export, Kindle library, shelf photos) sharpen recommendations further but aren't required.

How do I import from Goodreads?

  1. In Goodreads, go to My Books → Import and Export → Export Library
  2. Download the CSV
  3. In Mood Reader, tap Library → Import → Choose your Goodreads CSV

How do I import from Kindle?

Kindle library import is being finalized. Until it's live, the shelf-photo import (photograph your books) or Goodreads export work as workarounds.

I photographed a shelf and Mood Reader missed some books

The shelf-photo import uses computer vision to read book spines. It isn't perfect, especially for spines with unusual typography or partial occlusion. If a book is missed, tap "Add missing book" in the review screen after the scan and search for it manually.

Why does Mood Reader ask for reflections instead of just star ratings?

Both work. Stars stay in the Master Library the way you'd expect. Reflections are what build Self Portrait and sharpen recommendations. A one-sentence reflection like "surprised me by how much I cared about the sister" gives Mood Reader far more signal than five stars alone.

I forgot my password

Tap "Forgot password?" on the sign-in screen. Enter an email address, and a six-digit code arrives by email. Enter the code in the app to set a new password. Codes expire in 30 minutes.

The Mirror tab is empty

Mirror is populated by a background process that runs periodically. New users see empty Mirror sections until the process runs. If Mirror is still empty after 24 hours, email support.

Can I delete my account?

Yes. Email hello@moodreaderapp.com with the subject line "Delete my Mood Reader account." All personal data will be permanently removed within seven days. In-app deletion is coming soon.

Does Mood Reader sell my data?

No. There are no ads, no analytics SDKs, no ad IDs, no data sales. Reading history stays with the person who created it. See the Privacy Policy for the full accounting.

Is Mood Reader free?

Yes, at launch. Pricing may change in the future. Any pricing change will be announced to existing users before it takes effect.

Which iOS versions are supported?

Mood Reader requires iOS 18.0 or later.

Does Mood Reader work on iPad?

Not yet. Mood Reader is currently iPhone-only. iPad support is planned for a future release.

Bug reports

If something is broken:

  1. Screenshot it (Volume Up + Side button on iPhone)
  2. Note what was happening when it broke
  3. Email the screenshot and description to hello@moodreaderapp.com

Every bug report is read personally. Fixes ship in the next update.

Feature ideas

Mood Reader is small and built with a specific philosophy. Not every feature request will land, but the roadmap is shaped by what real readers ask for. Email an idea to the same address.

About

Mood Reader is built by Nick Shadel, an independent developer in Washington State. It is not backed by a company, not funded by investors, and not building toward acquisition. It's built to be the reading app Nick wanted for himself and couldn't find.

If Mood Reader is providing value and you want to say so — that also goes to hello@moodreaderapp.com. Independent developers hear from broken things more than they hear from working ones.