I regularly read book reviews, before I decide to buy or assign a book. They are extra useful when beginning a new project, especially if your library is limited and you need to ILL or buy out of pocket. But as a book review editor, I might be biased.https://twitter.com/profmusgrave/status/1335980250895880194 …
I also find academic book reviews really handy when reading books outside of my core specialty, because they will tell me if the argument I am reading represents something new or old, accepted or not, etc.
