answer:I too read the one and two-star ones. Usually a book that interests me comes with a reputation, however. I often start with recommendations from friends, too. For example, Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner has just published And the Mountains Echoed. I would bring up reviews in the NYT and similar sites rather than those on the sellers’ sites. Instead of buying the book, I am taking it out of our library, which solves all problems but more money in the economy.