I love the misguided warning in the aphorism "You can't judge a book by its cover" since almost all of us ignore the advice. And, in fact, you often
can judge a book accurately by its cover. That is, after all, the point (and art) of the cover.
I voted sometimes as well. I suppose it's true that almost everything I buy is NOT based upon professional reviews -- Globe and Mail, the Guardian, the New York Review of Books, etc -- but I do enjoy reading them and primarily for the reading experience itself: reviewers are typically entertaining and erudite writers themselves. (If you aren't acquainted with the
Barnes and Noble Review, I highly recommend it.)
I like the
idea of getting samples on my ereader in advance but in reality I rarely do that.
What I do appreciate is the time and effort other "average" readers take in posting comments at Amazon. I think most of us are savvy enough to sort out the folks who know what they are talking about and those that don't, faced with a decent selection of comments. Between the plot synopsis, and the different facets readers bring to light, and the references to other works, the reader comments section are actually highly valuable -- more so than a lone "Publisher's Weekly" blurb. This community involvement added value, in fact, is why I buy more books at Amazon than Kobo.
Lastly there are the terrific reads I've discovered thanks to serendipity: driven by Amazon's recommendation engine or just browsing based on comments by readers. I genuinely browse Amazon and can do so much more fruitfully than I can in a typical bricks and mortar bookstore ... and I can do it in my pyjamas without getting arrested.
