I'm new here too, but it seems to me java 7 is not so different from java 5 that if you've read a beginner book using 5, you now need to go and read another intro book using 7. But take a look:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_version_history#Java_SE_6_.28December_11.2C_2006.29
[I know english wikipedia is blacked out today and respect and support their reasons, but the point is taken ;) and the "blackout" is done with a client side redirect. So if you temporarily disable javascript in your browser, you can access the page. Mediawiki does not use js significantly for the view, the interface is fine.]
Anyway, there is a fairly exhaustive looking list of the changes in 6 and 7 starting there. It is still the exact same language, there are just some improvements, bug fixes, extensions, etc. You could certainly look the extensions, such as they are, up at oracle so you get up to speed on the new stuff. I think the only thing that would be even remotely significant to beginners like us is that you can now use strings in switch statements.
So, I think if you buy another book of the same style (how to learn. java) whether it is for version 5 or 7, you will not notice much difference. Maybe a reference would be good, if you want a reference.
$0.02: I looked over about 100 titles at amazon and just read some reviews at the bunkhouse link Jesper de Jong posted. I decided to order "Effective Java" 2nd. It's current for JDK 6. Keep in mind that publishers probably jump on the opportunity to publish JDK 7 books before anyone else. That doesn't mean they will be bad, but I wouldn't use the difference between 6 and 7 as a criteria, just choose a book you think is good for other reasons.
