An Amazon Books “small talk” search reports 90 books that have the phrase in the title or subtitle. Most of these books offer ways to improve small talk. Many present career advancement methods. Some suggest ways to use small talk as a step toward deeper conversation. A few adopt a more critical stance, including these:

• End Small Talk: Deep Questions for Better Conversations
• Turning Small Talk into Big Talk
• Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks