IGNORE Top ten most famous books we never finish

1. Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton

It was a number one on the New York Times Best Seller List, but according to the Hawking Index, a theory developed by Wisconsin mathematics professor Jordan Ellenberg that uses data from kindles to single out which book are the most “unread”, just 1.9 per cent of readers get to the end. Hillary Clinton’s memoir Hard Choices is about her tenure as United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.

2. Capital by Thomas Piketty

The French economist Thomas Piketty’s book focuses on wealth and income inequality in Europe and the US since the 18th century. It reached number one on The New York Times best-selling hardcover nonfiction list this year, yet just 2.4 per cent of readers plough through until the end.

3. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

In 2005 it was included by Time magazine in its list of the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923. Just 6.4 per cent of readers finish the book, which is set in a semi-satiric future version of North America.

4. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Written by British physicist Stephen Hawking and first published in 1988, the book has sold more than 10 million copies in 20 years. Yet only 6.6 per cent of readers reach the end.

5. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

The 2011 book by Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics Daniel Kahneman summarises decades of his academic research. A total of 6.8 per cent of readers reach the end.

6. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is a 2013 book written by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook. According to the Hawking Index, 12.3 per cent of readers get to the end.

7. Flash Boys by Michael Lewis

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt is a non-fiction book by the American writer Michael Lewis, which examines the rise of high-frequency trading in the US equity market. Just over a fifth (21.7 per cent) of readers persist to the end.

8. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

The erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James is the first instalment in the Fifty Shades trilogy that traces the relationship between a university graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young businessman Christian Grey. Despite, or perhaps because of, its explicitly erotic scenes, 25.9 per cent of readers plough through until the end.

9. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

It is an American literary classic, which conjures a vivid picture of the decadence and excess of the Roaring Twenties. Despite it being a fairly short novel, only 28.3 per cent of readers reach the end.

10. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This 2009 science fiction novel is the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. As the sequel to the 2008 best-seller The Hunger Games, it continues the story of Katniss Everdeen and the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, with 43.4 per cent of readers reaching to the end.