It’s time to put down that ‘putdownable’ book, according to poll.

Experts advise not to soldier on with a book if you aren’t enjoying it

It’s a conundrum faced by every reader at some point – ditch a book that you are just not enjoying, or see it through with grim determination until the bitter end.

A new poll suggests that many of us are unwilling to give up on a book, no matter how much we are struggling, while others will wait weeks, or even months, before conceding defeat.

And it also indicates that the majority of Britons will avoid reading material that they believe will make them sad, with a considerable proportion saying they see reading as a form of escape, and want to be transported to a happy place.

The Reading Agency, which commissioned the survey to mark World Book Night today suggested that anyone who finds themselves facing “book block” should not force themselves to continue with the book in question.

And the books that adults are most likely to struggle to finish? The poll suggests that readers are more likely to have difficulty with modern-day novels, such as Fifty Shades Of Grey, rather than works by classic authors such as Dickens or Emily Bronte.

Asked what factors make it hard to finish a book, the most common answer was that they find it boring, or are not enjoying it, with around one in four saying they find it hard to concentrate when reading, and 20% too tired from work and family life.

The majority said that reading can have a positive effect on mood and wellbeing, and of those that agreed with this, 28% said that they would turn to a book if they felt lonely, and 24% said they would do so if they felt stressed.

One in five (20%) said that they would definitely avoid a book if they thought it would make them sad, with 35% saying they would possibly avoid it.

The most common book to not finish was Fifty Shades Of Grey by EL James, followed by Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring; Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling; Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.

Sue Wilkinson, chief executive of The Reading Agency, said: “At a time when one in five of us will experience anxiety or depression, and world events can leave people feeling confused or scared, reading has never been more important.”

When world events leave us feeling confused or scared, reading has never been more important

SUE WILKINSON

Most bookworms will be well aware of the dilemma. You work your way through a tome despite not really enjoying it, feeling you can’t justify simply giving up. Good news, then, in a new study which suggests the best course of action is to ditch the offending literature and move on, guilt-free.

After all, there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book – and few things more frustrating than doing so with a bad one...

The most common reason by readers for not completing a book was that they found it boring.