Gemini Notebook gets free textbooks you can ask questions about

What's new

Imagine being able to ask your textbook questions directly, as if you had a tutor sitting next to you. That is the idea behind Google's latest addition to Gemini Notebook, where hundreds of textbooks are now available. The exact number of titles has not been disclosed.

The books are free for users and come from OpenStax, Open Textbook Library and the Indian publisher S Chand Publishing. The news was announced on October 29, 2026, and is rolling out in the US and India. The sources mention no plans for other markets, so Denmark and the EU are not included for now.

Here's how it works: Open a new or existing notebook, select "Add sources" and then "Textbooks." There you can filter by subject and education level, find your book and add it.

What's smart

Once you have chosen a book, the answers are based on that book alone. The answers include embedded citations and links back to the original text, so you can check for yourself whether they hold up. According to Digit.in, the promise is: "Once a book is chosen, every question will be answered from that book itself." It is unclear whether the wording comes from Google or from Digit.in.

According to Digit.in, this reduces the risk of AI hallucinations, meaning a chatbot making up something that sounds right but is wrong. That is an assessment, not a guarantee.

Based on a book's content, you can also create study guides, practice quizzes and flashcards. That makes the book more than a reference work: It can also be used to practice before an exam.

Cheaper or better?

The textbooks cost nothing extra. What Gemini Notebook itself costs regular users per month is not stated in the sources.

There are limits to how many sources a notebook can hold, according to FourWeekMBA: 50 in the free version, 100 with AI Plus, 300 with Pro and 600 with Ultra. It is unclear whether each textbook counts as one source. If it does, a free user could quickly fill a notebook with a handful of books.

The sources contain no comparisons with competitors. The news builds on something Google started in September 2025, when public notebooks with OpenStax titles were launched. Now there is an actual catalog to choose from.

Who it's good for

First and foremost, students in the US and India who want help with their coursework without paying for books. You can ask questions, get explanations, create quizzes and practice with flashcards, all with the option of looking things up in the original text.

The textbook news is part of Google's "Expert Intelligence" initiative. It was unveiled in August 2026 and lets users import e-books they own in Google Play Books as sources. That covers more than 100,000 titles from publishers including Penguin Random House, Macmillan and O'Reilly. Google has said the idea will later be expanded to the Gemini app, AI Mode in Search, and to textbooks and research reports. Those are plans and not something that has happened yet.

Whether the books are available in Danish, and which subjects are covered, is not stated in the sources.