The debate between physical and digital books is a heated one. Some people prefer the look of a tome on their bookshelf and enjoy the smell of each page as they hold their nose to an old favorite. Others like the convenience that comes with having access to an entire personal library of books whenever and wherever they have their phone. One clear disadvantage of digital books, though, is the ability for a single company to determine when and where you can buy them.

After years of waiting, folks in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan can now purchase books from the Play Store. Google has added these four to its list of supported countries, which has grown to over sixty since the service's launch.

People living in any of these four areas have had the ability to read digital books from other sources, but only now are they able to tap on the Play Books app and get any use out of it. This includes uploading books and reading them up on other laptops, tablets, and pretty much anything with a modern web browser. Since Google allows readers to import and export books, Play Books makes for a decent way to manage your .epubs. To all of the newcomers, welcome.

Source: Google Play support