Google has updated its Books app for Android with a slew of new features, including in-text definitions, translations, and Google Maps integration. The updated Google Play Books app also makes it easier to highlight and add notes to any text, and automatically syncs them across all devices.

Most notable, however, is the app's new places function. Highlighting any country, city, or geographic feature within a text now brings up a small "info card" displaying the location on Google Maps (see screenshot, below). This display also gives you the option to find more information about the location through Wikipedia or a simple Google search.

Users can translate a word or passage by highlighting the selection and choosing a language from the action bar. Definitions are similarly straightforward; just select a word and tap it once to display its dictionary entry. Smaller updates include a new page-turn animation, a sepia reading theme, and a left-to-right text layout for books written in Japanese.