I did a lot of flying around LA basin during last summer (04').
Wouldn't be able to recommend an books but if your good on the RT then you shouldn't have a problem the airspace is handled so much better than the UK. You just call up SOCAL or NORCAL control on the regional freq. They will give you a squawk and ask for flight following and they do the rest it's just handovers as you go along your route.
have agood time