Oyster, which trumpeted itself as "the Netflix of books" when it launched a couple of years ago, is closing down. (They were never able to resolve that most basic of questions: isn't the "Netflix of Books" a library?) But most of the Oyster team seems to be moving to Google Play's Books division.

Does this mean Google is about to launch an all-you-can-read e-book subscription service? Who cares? Probably. We'll find out eventually.

The real question for Google Play Books is this: why do you think it's okay to ban content for "images of nudity with no educational or artistic value?" And some follow-up questions: Who decides what is of artistic or educational value? Do you believe that bookselling is a public good, or is it merely a commercial venture? Because the world doesn't need a Netflix for books, but it does need booksellers who allow their customers to choose what they want to read. In an online marketplace of infinite size, there is no reason why Google should be cutting out books with adult themes.