Book lover: Mary Lambie

Mary Lambie. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Mary Lambie is a well-known broadcaster and businesswoman.

The book I love most is ... I've loved loads of books, but most recently I thoroughly enjoyed Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi. Honest, pacey and full of surprises. Very well-written and Agassi is utterly likeable.

The book I'm reading right now is ... Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. He's the guy who brought us Outliers, The Tipping Point, What The Dog Saw. Blink is about the power of that initial two seconds of thinking - it happens so fast that we don't actually realise we are processing and drawing conclusions. Gladwell puts the case that we should take far more notice of the conclusions we draw from that first bout of thinking because they are powerful and, more often than not, right. He says there are dangers in overthinking in a slower, more conscious form. He's a bit out there, but I like him and what he has to say.

The book I'd like to read next is ... The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas, because I saw it in a little book store in the middle of Helsinki over Christmas and the woman at the counter said it was fabulous, so I bought it. It's time for me to delve into some fiction.

The book that changed me is ... Bounce by Matthew Syed. It cemented the notion that effort is everything. If you want to excel, you have to practice - a lot. It's along similar lines to Gladwell's Outliers, which talks of the 10,000 hour rule. Do something - be it hit a ball, play the piano, run, play chess - practise that one thing for 10,000 hours and the chances are pretty well certain that you will be excellent at it. Syed also thinks talent is a myth - that "purposeful practice" is what makes people the best in their field.

The book I wish I'd never read is ... quite a few very poorly written autobiographies. I have been drawn to someone's autobiography because of their remarkable achievement or notoriety, but have felt ripped off because they can hardly string a sentence together.