Google adds interactive features to Books service

Google has added new features to its Books service

Google has updated its Google Books digital library service with new features designed to make the site easier to navigate and titles easier to share.

New additions include the ability to view pages within books and magazines as thumbnails, and title contents as a dropdown menu, along with improved search features.

The company has also added the ability for users to embed previews of books on third-party sites and blogs.

"I'm excited to announce that we're rolling out changes to Google Books that give readers and book lovers everywhere new ways to interact with the words and images contained within the books we've brought online," wrote Google Books product manager Brandon Badger in a blog post.

"We've also made it easier for users to share previews of their favorite books on their blogs or web sites."

The new features are the latest in what has been a tumultuous stretch for the Google Books project. Late last year the company settled a long-running legal battle with a group of publishers.

With the project looking to move forward, the company inked a deal with Sony to provide titles for the Reader digital book device.

A new threat for the project emerged earlier this month, however, when the US Department of Justice opened an inquiry into the 2008 settlement.