One of my pet theories connected with the readability and ultimately the finish-ability of books is that it is easier to read and finish a book if your own mood matches the author's.

I'm thinking mainly of brain chemical serotonin and the fact when it is low it makes you depressed, and when it is high it makes you hypomanic, and could trigger a manic episode. Of course, at either extreme, the right (I mean the wrong) book could induce suicide on the part of the reader, or at least make you very depressed, or a bit agitated.

So it's a good thing to chuck a book across the room -- what else would you do? Jump off the Jacques Cartier Bridge?

Terry, Montreal, Canada

i cant belive that the '..goblet of fire' is in the list, that is most definitely the best harry potter book. ive read it at least 5 times...and before you ask i am an adult, though presumably (much!) younger than those surveyed! as for the non-fiction, who in their right minds would pick up a book by the likes of beckham, goody or blunkett

saira, london,

I have tried - my God how I've tried - to read Dickens. Totally unreadable. Until the recent dramatisation of Bleak House, I couldn't even watch the TV adaptations. Martin Amis is both unreadable and over-hyped; ditto Salman Rushdie. Frankly most modern fiction falls into the "So What" category. Exceptions to this are: Maggie O'Farrell (especially her first book), Alice Sebold, William Trevor, John McGahern. I loved Captain Corelli though have not been able to cope - so far - with de Bernieres' latest. And why anyone would consider Jade Goody and David Beckham's witterings books beats me...

Carroll Powell, London,

I ALWAYS finish a book if I start it, a good friend of mine thinks I'm mad when I moan about how bad something is but insist on reading through to the end, but there is one exception, even though I've tried and tried and that is Remberence of Times Past. Those damned madelines do it for me everytime and I now keep a copy by my bed in case of insomnia - works every time which actually quite saddens me. Maybe when I retire ...

Kevin, London,

I have never felt guilty for not finishing a book...why should I ? ..would I finish a plate of food if I didn't like it, certainly not, my knife and fork would be placed onto the plate as easily as I would place the book at the back of the cupboard, or in the bin. Finishing is not compulsory.

Maggs Latter, Walton On Thames, UK

It's funny. If you're an author 'accepted' as being brilliant, people need an 'excuse' to put you down, but the telegraph's reviewer of cloud atlas for example said it was unreadable. This idea that a book can be too intelligent for someone and defeat them is a very layered system - dictated by an arrogance and ivory tower sensibility in people absorbed by the literary world. Plenty of people have lives that are less focussed on literature - they decide to put a book down.

Until it's in the canon, it's invariably the book's fault, but once there, it's forever the reader's

Rory, St Albans, UK

... the non-fiction list seems to be missing something , I always thought "A brief history of Time" was famously the most partially-read book on the planet? Recently, "Imagining Numbers" by Barry Mazur , has left me devoid of the will to live. I thought it would give me a true insight into the mind of a brilliant mathematician, and unfortunately, it has given me a true insight into the mind of a brilliant mathematician....

nick, Reading, berks

I'm disgusted. Where is The English Patient on this list? Or the interminable Alma Cogan? Or ANYTHING by Carol Shields? These people just don't know a boring book when they (try to) read one. Oh, the hours I've wasted ...

Sandra Barber, Stoke on Trent, England

Vernon God Little & Cloud Atlas? Have re-read these at least three times each! Never got beyond the front cover of Captain Thingy, however.

Kirsty, Gard, France

I nearly gave up the will to live reading Life of Pi but finished it, the same with Shadow of the Wind. One of the best most recently read was We must talk about Kevin.

Pam Hayes, Solihull, England

Couldn't finish The Da Vinci Code - just a cobbling together of plaigarised ideas. On the other hand, after decades of avoiding it, I finally read Ulysses and absolutely loved it.

theleveller, Selby,

The one book I could never finish was surprisingly The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein. I tried dozens of times but each time I nearly fell asleep reading it. I love the movies, and I've read the hobbit and loved it too but I could never get through the fellowship for some reason. I always try to finish a book and I still own it hoping that one day I will but everytime I pick it up I'm yawning 5 pages in. It's just too wordy I guess. He takes to long to get to the story... I wish I could finish I just can't!

Beth, Paris , Canada, Ontario

Having tried and failed twice to read Donna Tartt's 'The Little Friend', I too am surprised by it's absence. Her debut novel, 'The Secret History' however, I'm certain would appear on any list of 'un-put-downable' books; a highly descriptive novel with a fast moving and gripping narrative.

I am further surprised by the absence of 'The Catcher in the Rye'. It took me around four attempts to finish it, with a break of about a month from beginning to end on my final attempt. The lack of characters and plot make this possible.

If cook books were more than a collection of recipies, the list would be composed of ten of them.

Stephen, Hartlepool,

How can people not finish 'God of small things'?.It's one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read!

Anup Nair, London, London

The satanic verses doesn't warrant all the hype history leads you to believe.
I tried to read it twice and found it made very little sence. I honestly think Salman was taking the piss of the critics in this case.
I think the critics were to scared to criticise it in case they bought criticism upon themselves.
The fatwa was completely pointless and so was the book.

sean, london,

war and Peace is a superb work of art. I am suprised somebody find it a bore, well taste differs.

Umar Hamza, Kogi/Okene, Nigeria

i don't read for pleasure, never have, never will

Steve, London,

Whoa - weird. Vernon God Little and Cloud Atlas are among the best books I have ever read !!!

Helen, Hampshire, UK

Some surprises there on both lists, but I had a hang up for a long time about finishing books...now life is too short to not give up! I just loved Arundhati Roy's God of Small Things... best book I EVER read... and Wild Swans was the OTHER best book I EVER read. However this past weekend in a charity shop in Devizes, there were three copies of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, although who is say whether they had been finished before being finished with ?

pondlife, Evian, France,

Whilst I would agree with some of the books on the list, (especially harry potter) I have do disagree with cloud atlas, I have literally just come back from my lunch break in which I sat outside and read the last few chapters. I then came back to my desk and read this article. funny coinicidence, but I found I couldn't put it down

Jo, London,

I'm so relieved. I thought I was the only one! I did not finish Captain Corelli's Mandolin (hated it), Vernon God Little or The God of Small Things. However, I love Cloud Atlas - and, incidentally, The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.

Chris, Thirsk, United Kingdom

I don't know how The Alchemist made it on to your list. I've read it at least five times, just love it. And everyone I mention it to also has read it. Besides, it's such a small book with a simple and effective writing style. Hmmn, is this the classic publisher's trick (ie., the Times) coming up with a list just to start a discussion?

I note there are a lot of autiobiographies. Just goes to show, we like them on the telly, but somehow their lives just are so boring. How many biographies are there out there of Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin and Hitler? These were truly interesting characters!

Daniel Clee, London,

The one book I could not finish (I really tried. Several times) was The Little Friend by Donna Tartt. And I wasn't the only one. Noone I know who's read it has been able to finish it. I still wonder how the book ends....

Stephanie, Amsterdam,

How could you ever pick up 'Jade: My Autobiography' in the first place? At least without having a keen interest in psychoanalysis.
As far as 'Why don't penguin's feet freeze?' goes; in my university halls this has become one of the favourite toilet books. What that says about it I'm unsure.

David, Bath,

I suppose this should be listed in the OED as the antonym of "unputdownable".

Eugene, Heidelberg, germany

yes I';m ure that Captain Correll was everywhere and will no doubt be in every charity shop for years to come. This is the real litmus test of a truly unfinishable novel - the regularity with which it appears, usually in pristine condition, in your local charity shop - at the moment it's Labyrinth by Kate Mosse and there's always a lot of chick lit as well.

Carole, London, UK

I can understand why many people stopped reading Vernon God Little - I probably would have done so if it hadn't been our monthly book club read. The descriptive writing at the start of the book seems designed to be as crude and disgusting as possible and getting through it is hard work. BUT - if you read the book all the way through it really rewards you - the second half was so much better and definitely won me over.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin though? I LOVE this book. Surely this must be a reflection just of the huge number of people that bought it (at one time it was everywhere).

Liz, London,