Dropping hard-to-read books will produce a happy ending

♦ Reader’s guilt at abandoning a book half way through should be done away with, according to The Reading Agency, as it advised simply putting down any novel that does not bring you pleasure.

A poll by the literary charity of 2,000 people found more than a fifth of readers (22 per cent) refused to give up on a book, no matter how much they were struggling, while others will wait weeks, or even months, before conceding defeat.

The most common novel to not be finished was Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James, followed by JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling.

The Reading Agency, which commissioned the survey to mark World Book Night today, suggested that anyone who finds themselves facing “book block” should simply drop what they are reading. It said: “You should never force yourself to read something you’re not enjoying.”