diff --git a/static/css/app.css b/static/css/app.css
index 8242c99..af1ecf6 100644
--- a/static/css/app.css
+++ b/static/css/app.css
@@ -1658,50 +1658,21 @@ body.dnd-mode .timer-display {
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
-/* --- Recently-read shelf (always pinned atop the books view) --- */
-.book-recent-shelf {
+/* --- Recently-read section (always pinned atop the books view, plain list style) --- */
+.book-recent-section {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 6px;
   margin-bottom: 14px;
+  padding-bottom: 14px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
 }
 .book-recent-title {
   font-size: 13px;
   font-weight: 600;
-  margin: 0 0 6px;
+  margin: 0;
   color: var(--muted, #888);
 }
-.book-recent-row {
-  display: flex;
-  gap: 8px;
-  overflow-x: auto;
-  padding-bottom: 2px;
-}
-.book-recent-item {
-  flex: 0 0 auto;
-  display: flex;
-  flex-direction: column;
-  gap: 2px;
-  max-width: 160px;
-  padding: 8px 10px;
-  border: 1px solid var(--border);
-  border-radius: var(--radius);
-  background: none;
-  color: var(--fg);
-  text-align: left;
-  cursor: pointer;
-  font: inherit;
-}
-.book-recent-item-title {
-  font-size: 13px;
-  white-space: nowrap;
-  overflow: hidden;
-  text-overflow: ellipsis;
-}
-.book-recent-item-author {
-  font-size: 11px;
-  color: var(--muted, #888);
-  white-space: nowrap;
-  overflow: hidden;
-  text-overflow: ellipsis;
-}
 
 /* --- Book folders (single level) --- */
 .book-folder-grid {
diff --git a/static/js/app.js b/static/js/app.js
index 1baa782..39f793a 100644
--- a/static/js/app.js
+++ b/static/js/app.js
@@ -3461,8 +3461,8 @@ function _renderBookItemHtml(b) {
       <div class="book-item-actions">
         <button class="btn btn-sm" onclick="openBook(${b.id})"${b.keyOk === false ? ' disabled title="Import the correct encryption key first"' : ''}>Open</button>
         <div class="book-item-menu">
-          <button class="btn btn-sm book-menu-toggle" title="Weitere Optionen" onclick="toggleBookMenu(${b.id})">⋮</button>
-          <div class="book-item-menu-list" id="book-menu-${b.id}">
+          <button class="btn btn-sm book-menu-toggle" title="Weitere Optionen" onclick="toggleBookMenu(this)">⋮</button>
+          <div class="book-item-menu-list">
             ${broken ? `<button class="book-menu-item book-menu-item--danger book-broken-btn" onclick="repairBook(${b.id})">🔧 Reparieren (Datei erneut hochladen)</button>` : ''}
             ${b.has_highlights ? `<button class="book-menu-item" onclick="downloadBookAnnotationsFromList(${b.id}, this)">⭳ Markierungen &amp; Notizen herunterladen</button>` : ''}
             <button class="book-menu-item" onclick="assignBookFolder(${b.id})">📁 Ordner zuweisen</button>
@@ -3475,8 +3475,11 @@ function _renderBookItemHtml(b) {
     </div>`;
 }
 
-function toggleBookMenu(bookId) {
-  const menu = document.getElementById(`book-menu-${bookId}`);
+function toggleBookMenu(toggleBtn) {
+  // Looked up relative to the clicked button (not by id) because the same book — and
+  // thus the same rendered menu — can appear twice at once: once in the "Zuletzt
+  // gelesen" section and again further down in the folder/unfiled list.
+  const menu = toggleBtn.closest('.book-item-menu')?.querySelector('.book-item-menu-list');
   if (!menu) return;
   const willOpen = !menu.classList.contains('open');
   document.querySelectorAll('.book-item-menu-list.open').forEach(m => m.classList.remove('open'));
@@ -3507,18 +3510,15 @@ function renderBookList(books) {
 
   let html = '';
 
-  // Always-visible "recently read" shelf, independent of folder navigation and the
-  // read/unread filter below — it's a shortcut back into whatever was open last.
+  // Always-visible "recently read" section, independent of folder navigation and the
+  // read/unread filter below — it's a shortcut back into whatever was open last. Same
+  // vertical list-item look as the rest of the list (not a card shelf).
   const recent = _recentlyReadBooks(books);
   if (recent.length) {
-    html += '<div class="book-recent-shelf">'
+    html += '<div class="book-recent-section">'
       + '<h3 class="book-recent-title">Zuletzt gelesen</h3>'
-      + '<div class="book-recent-row">'
-      + recent.map(b => `<button class="book-recent-item" onclick="openBook(${b.id})" title="${escapeHtml(b.title)}">
-          <span class="book-recent-item-title">${escapeHtml(b.title)}</span>
-          ${b.author ? `<span class="book-recent-item-author">${escapeHtml(b.author)}</span>` : ''}
-        </button>`).join('')
-      + '</div></div>';
+      + recent.map(_renderBookItemHtml).join('')
+      + '</div>';
   }
 
   const visible = _bookShowRead ? books : books.filter(b => !b.is_read);
diff --git a/static/js/sw.js b/static/js/sw.js
index a445d84..990752a 100644
--- a/static/js/sw.js
+++ b/static/js/sw.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * diora service worker — caches the app shell for offline use.
  */
 
-const CACHE = 'diora-v39';
+const CACHE = 'diora-v40';
 const PODCAST_CACHE = 'diora-podcast-v1';
 const SHELL = [
   '/static/css/app.css',