July 23, 2010

Got Books? New Release vs. Back Catalog

Welcome to Musings of an All Purpose Monkey! Chances are if you’re here on July 23rd or 24th you’re a book lover who got here via the Got Books? event. I’m proud to be one of the over 100 bloggers participating in this inaugural Got Books? celebration of books and book blogs. Thank you to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers and There’s A Book for bringing us all together.

I thought I’d take this opportunity to ask a question about what you review and what you want to see when you visit other book blogs: new releases, back catalog titles or both?

Though I try to keep up with and review as many new releases as possible, I also enjoy sharing old favorites and books / authors that are new to me, even if they’ve been around forever. After all, I figure if I only just discovered someone there are undoubtedly other readers out there who’d also like an introduction as well.

What do you think? Do only new release reviews matter to you, or is it important to review old favorites and back catalog titles with an eye toward exposing them to readers who may not have encountered them before? Leave a comment with your thoughts and you’ll be entered to win the following prize pack (<= photo):

An ARC of The Sky Is Everywhere by debut author Jandy Nelson (trade paperback)
The Suspect, first in the Karl Alberg series by L.R. Wright (trade paperback)
Dust to Dust, second in Tami Hoag’s Kovac & Liska series (paperback)
Fang, sixth and most recent book in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson (hardcover)
An ivory/brown striped canvas tote bag (new, just took it out of the wrapper for the photo)

As you can see, in the spirit of the new release vs. back catalog conversation I’ve included a little bit of everything on the spectrum, as well as a tote bag for you to carry your beach books in! Please be sure to include your email address or website link with your comment so I have a way to contact the winner. Contest is open to US/Canada.

***The contest is now closed.***

Thanks for stopping by. Please have a look around Musings of an All Purpose Monkey, and then be sure to go visit another Got Books? event participating blog site!

93 Comments

Elizabeth A. White
July 26, 2010 - 12:55 PM

Jackie from Teen Book Guide has been selected (by Random.org) as the contest winner. Congratulations to Jackie, and thank you again to everyone who participated by leaving a comment. 🙂
Elizabeth A. White
July 25, 2010 - 9:25 AM

Wow! Thank you, everyone, for all of your comments!

The contest is now closed. Later today I will use RANDOM.ORG to select a winner, and on Monday I’ll announcement the winner here in the comments, as well as notifying them directly by email.

Hope you all enjoyed the inaugural Got Books? event as much as I did. 🙂
andrea
July 25, 2010 - 1:02 AM

I like to see both new releases and older books, to keep up with new books that I haven’t heard of and to discover older books that are easier to find (in paperback or used)…

brigneti(at)gmail(dot)com
ikkinlala
July 24, 2010 - 10:53 PM

I like a blend of old and new, and I especially like to hear about older books that weren’t heavily promoted when they were new.

ikkinlala AT yahoo DOT ca
JHS
July 24, 2010 - 10:36 PM

A healthy blend of old and new is what I look for. There are so many great books that I didn’t get a chance to read for one reason or another. So I like to see reviews of them, as well as the latest and greatest.

Check out my giveaways, too!

JHS
Colloquium

jhsmail at comcast dot net
Elise
July 24, 2010 - 9:54 PM

I love reviews of any book, new or old doesn’t matter. If I haven’t read a book, no matter how far back in time it was published, it is still considered a new book to me. I like reviewers to review whatever book they like.
caliblue7 at gmail dot com
The1stdaughter (Danielle Smith)
July 24, 2010 - 9:54 PM

What a great question! I think more than anything what appeals to me is whether it’s a genre or style I’m more inclined to read or a particular blogger I love. I’m most likely not going to read reviews about horror books, because that’s just not my thing, for example. Both old and new books alike can be great or fantastic reviews depending on the reviewer.

Great giveaway as well! Thank you so much for hosting your giveaway and for being a part of Got Books?!
Kisha
July 24, 2010 - 9:51 PM

Great giveaway! I love finding out about old and new books. You hear a lot about new books but rarely from older books.

xnzkisha17@yahoo.com
Angela (Library Girl Reads)
July 24, 2010 - 9:50 PM

I just review whatever it is that I’m reading at the time. I get some ARCs from publicists but often I’m reviewing books that I own (but haven’t yet read) or that I get from the library. There is no way I could keep up if I tried to only review new releases. I’m too far behind in the reading pile as it is!

angela.donner (at) gmail.com
Stacey Smith
July 24, 2010 - 9:09 PM

old new does not matter to me as long as thay help me find something good to read.
sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com
Linda Henderson
July 24, 2010 - 8:47 PM

Thank you for the great giveaway. I like seeing old books reviewed on blogs. A lot of times I’ve missed these books the first time around, and it gives me the opportunity to read them.

seriousreader at live dot com
JoAnna B
July 24, 2010 - 8:25 PM

I like to see both. I like to see reviews on the new books in the series and some older books in the event it might be a series I would like to read.
thanks for the giveaway.

beckerjo@verizon.net
chey
July 24, 2010 - 8:22 PM

I like to read reviews about both old and new books.

chey127 at hotmail dot com
shawna
July 24, 2010 - 8:04 PM

I love both the old and new…there are tons of “old” books I have on my wish reading list…they sound amazing…of course I have tons of new books on my wish reading list too! So many wonderful books out there, I wanna read them all!
mainlandmama at gmail dot com
Doreen Riopel
July 24, 2010 - 8:00 PM

forgot to answer your question. I think older books should be reviewed too.
Doreen Riopel
July 24, 2010 - 7:59 PM

Thanks for participating. I would love to subscribe by email. Any chance for a future link for that?

dorcontest at gmail dot com
Bianca
July 24, 2010 - 7:42 PM

bsanchez.xo@gmail.com

i forgot to leave the email!
Bianca
July 24, 2010 - 7:41 PM

I’m very new the the “book blogging” world and I’ll be reviewing old and new. I’ve been browsing blogs and realised that there are lots of new books coming out and I get overwhelmed! So I’m basically going to be picking up any book that catches my eye to review it(:
Pam S
July 24, 2010 - 7:34 PM

I like both old and new, I am a variety kind of girl ;).
What a great giveaway, ty!

Pam S
pams00@aol.com
Carol M
July 24, 2010 - 7:21 PM

I like reading both new and old books. I would miss out on a lot of good stories if I didn’t read both.
mittens0831 at aol dot com
Shawnee (Icedream)
July 24, 2010 - 6:47 PM

I think it’s important to review both old and new. A lot of blogs cover the new releases, I love reading about someone’s “old” favorite and adding it to my tbr list. 🙂

waitmantwillie at hotmail dot com
Judy Dudley
July 24, 2010 - 6:28 PM

I like reading and reviewing old and new. I find treasures both ways.

seizethebookblog(at)gmail(dot)com
Jessica
July 24, 2010 - 5:48 PM

I like reading (And reviewing) both new releases and older books as well. Some of my favorite authors are ones I discovered years later (Charlaine Harris) and then I get the chance to read a bunch of their books, especially series books, all at once.
Linda Kish
July 24, 2010 - 5:36 PM

I like both, but I like new books best.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Angie D
July 24, 2010 - 5:21 PM

I think both are important. New books because then you know what is up and coming and older books to find different books you may not have heard of.
Thanks!
bangersis(at)msn(dot)com
MarthaE
July 24, 2010 - 4:48 PM

I have been reviewing more new releases but I like to read older books too and will review those as well.
Thanks for the giveaway.
mesreadsATgmail.com
Debbie D
July 24, 2010 - 4:27 PM

It both for me. Please include me in your giveaway.
Thanks
Debbie
debdesk9(at)verizon.net
Grace
July 24, 2010 - 4:09 PM

I love the oldies!! Some of my favortie books are the classics! 😀
Tina
July 24, 2010 - 4:02 PM

I think both reviews matter. They’re your thoughts and opinions on books, which is why we read your blog 🙂
J Bean
July 24, 2010 - 2:18 PM

I get almost all my reading material at the library. When the latest and greatest are all checked out, I have my list of older titles at hand to look up while I wait for my name to move up the waiting list. On the other hand, there’s so many great new writers publishing every day, there’s no way to keep up with them without all these wonderful reviewer blogs.
Marlene Breakfield
July 24, 2010 - 2:16 PM

Both old and new books have merit. Some of my favorite books are older titles.
marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com
Jackie Noel
July 24, 2010 - 1:52 PM

I usually look for new but it is nice to see stuff I’ve already read from other’s oppinions, or things I haven’t read that I think about reading because seeing old books reviewed. I’d stick with it. I guess it really all depends on the book. 🙂
jackie_love35@msn.com
Teresa W.
July 24, 2010 - 12:39 PM

I enjoy hearing about both! tWarner419@aol.com
Christinabean
July 24, 2010 - 12:06 PM

I think it’s a good idea to review both old and new. Sometimes a reader can be introduced to a great book that was published a few years before and continue following the author until the present-day.

clderwee at gmail dot com
Anne
July 24, 2010 - 11:21 AM

I like to see both, sometimes I miss a book when it first comes out. I just read the Hunger Games, and I don’t know how I missed reading it when it was first released.
Alicia
July 24, 2010 - 4:47 AM

Reviews of old books are good. Sometimes you’ve missed that perfect book the first time around.

Thanks for the giveaway >^..^<
Melanie L
July 24, 2010 - 3:58 AM

I love books no matter how long they have been around. It doesn’t matter to me if they are new releases or old, as long as they’re good. 🙂 I appreciate bloggers that do give the older ones the credit they deserve and allow more people to find out about them. Thanks for the contest.
peacelily_2006(at)yahoo(dot)com
Betty Mc
July 24, 2010 - 3:52 AM

Both!! The older ones are usually easier to get on Paperback Swap. Great giveaway you have there.

bmcbroom AT gmail DOT com
Terra Heck
July 24, 2010 - 3:39 AM

I want to read about both old and new. I’m interested in reading reviews from both sides in case there’s an old book I may have missed and to find out about new ones. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
jennifer mathis
July 24, 2010 - 3:07 AM

I like to see both cause I might have missed an older book

meandi09@yahoo.com
Valorie
July 24, 2010 - 2:36 AM

I think it is important to share the books that you think highly of. That way you can promote the books you know and love. Even if they are classics.
truthbetold004 at gmail dot com
Candace
July 24, 2010 - 2:09 AM

Old and new books. It’s nice to remind people of some older books that they may not have known about before.
Thanks so much for the giveaway!
candace_redinger at yahoo dot com
Angela Z
July 24, 2010 - 1:31 AM

i also think it’s important to do old books as well because everybody is doing the new books. For sure there has to be people out there who would love to see reviews on the oldies.