GBA’s Winter Reading List for Geoprofessionals
At the 2024 Annual Conference, GBA hosted the always popular Business Round Tables. One of the most popular discussions was at the “Books We Love” table. It was so popular, 
we decided to launch a GBA Book Club and introduce the club’s mascot, Pebbles Diggs Knowledge (Pebbles D. Knowledge or Pebbles for short!).
Whether reading for pleasure, for personal improvement, with a group, or on your own –
it’s clear that reading is a favorite pastime of GBA members.
Here is GBA’s official 2024-25 Winter Reading List to provide practical advice, inspiration, entertainment, or a fresh perspective. (We’re including Amazon links to purchase the books but don’t forget to check your local library for borrowing options!)
Super Deciders: The Science and Practice of Making Decisions in Dynamic and Uncertain Times
Studies suggest that company executives spend 40% of their time making decisions. In this book, researchers and business advisors deliver an application of the latest advances in neuroscience to effectively making the most difficult decisions.
The Fine Art of Small Talk
With practical advice and conversation cheat sheets, this book will help you learn to feel more comfortable in any type of social situation, from lunch with the boss to an association event to a cocktail party where you don’t know a soul.
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know
This book delves into the science of rethinking and persuading others to rethink. It examines the biases and assumptions that influence our decisions and offers strategies for fostering a mindset of lifelong curiosity. It also happens to be the book that the newly launched GBA Book Club is reading and preparing to discuss at their first meeting on January 23, 2025 (sign up to attend!).
The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever
From the Bestselling author of “The Coaching Habit,” The Advice Trap goes deeper into the behavior change needed to turn curiosity into your superpower. Tame the behaviors that get in the way of staying curious longer, and open the doors for “Future You” and your next level of leadership.
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
This New York Times bestseller brings readers deep into a world of treachery and betrayal, where the lines bleed between the personal and the professional, and one man’s hatred of communism had the power to change the future of nations.
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
The modern world has given us stupendous know-how. Yet avoidable failures continue to plague us. This book makes a compelling argument that we can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist.
The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World’s Fastest-Growing Sport
This book tells the riveting saga of how Formula 1 broke through in America, detailing the eclectic culture of racing obsessives, glamorous settings, gearheads, engineering geniuses, dashing racers, and bitter rivalries that have made F1 the world’s fastest growing sport.
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization
Within each corporation are anywhere from a few to hundreds of separate tribes. In this book, authors demonstrate how these tribes develop—and show you how to assess them and lead them to maximize productivity and growth.
The Forensic Geology Series
Investigators use their geological skills to track evidence found at scenes of crime and environmental crisis in this fictional series. They go from the lab to the field and into outdoor adventure. Along the way, they cover some very rough ground.
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
This author’s highly personal inquiry into the catastrophe provides a great deal of insight into what went wrong. The author takes great pains to provide a balanced picture of the people and events he witnessed and gives due credit to the tireless and dedicated Sherpas.