You don't have to read the whole thing. If it's a good book, it should be broken down into sections, one of them being Shade (or even better, Hot, Dry Shade) Gardens.
Look for shade loving plants in the index or the ToC.
Lamb's ear should be a winner, too. It's cool looking and even cooler feeling.
Lamb'sEar
ShadePlantsMountainousAreas
CA is weird about plants, though--they are very strict as to what can come into the state, IMS.
BTW: Ajuga is also known as bugle weed.
Lady's Mantle and Alyssum (the perennial alyssums) are very nice as well.
And lastly, here is a link to CA native plants:
Natives