to read, and better meetings.
Book and publication polls can tell you a lot more than just whether some arbitrary number of people liked the book. A well designed poll can give you direct insight into how the responding public reacted to a particular facet, which in turn can help you make up your own mind. Blurbs are nearly always unilaterally positive; not so with book and publication polls, which can give you objective data about how readers actually felt. I feel much more confident knowing that actual readers found the protagonist engaging and sympathetic than just reading some glowing review slapped onto a dust cover.
Whether you like to dissect a novel with a group of friends or just curl up on the couch and read alone, book and publication polls can help make the experience as rewarding as possible. Why waste time and money with books you’re not going to like?