by Ben Boos

When I was a kid, my friends and I made swords out of dowel rods, towels, and duct tape.^* When Ben Boos was a kid, on the other hand. had an actual sword that he used to chop oranges in half and trim the ivy along the gravel path in his yard. Ben Boos loves swords. That kind of enthusiasm is exactly why he quit his job in the video game industry to put this book together.

The swords from this book come from a lot of different cultures. You’ll find plenty of swords from Europe and, of course, Japan, but there are also sections on other parts of Asia that usually get ignored, as well as Africa and the Middle East. Each section has a page or so of text and then some full-color pictures. The author admits that he is not a historian, so I can’t promise you that the history is all accurate. However, he is clearly a huge fan, and you can see the love he has put into this book.

*: I always used two swords, and I beat everyone except my father. I’m guessing Ben Boos would have beaten me, too.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Antioch	.	J623.441 BOOS	In library
Brentwood	.	J623.441 BOOS	Checked out, due 2/25/12
Concord	.	J623.441 BOOS	Checked out, due 2/21/12
Danville	.	J623.441 BOOS	Checked out, due 2/24/12
Dougherty Station (San Ramon)	.	J623.441 BOOS	Checked out, due 2/21/12
El Cerrito	.	J623.441 BOOS	Checked out, due 2/16/12
Oakley	.	J623.441 BOOS	In library
Orinda	.	J623.441 BOOS	Checked out, due 2/11/12
Pleasant Hill	.	J623.441 BOOS	In library
Ygnacio Valley (Walnut Creek)	.	J623.441 BOOS	In library

This list was last updated February 5, 2012 at 6:06 pm UTC. Click here to see newer information.

by Thomas Maltman

The year is 1876, and Asa Senger lives on his family’s farm in Minnesota. Asa’s parents generally avoid talking about family history, but Asa learns far more than he expected when Aunt Hazel comes home from an asylum where she was held for many years.

The Sengers are unwilling to talk about the past because their family has been right in the middle of some really ugly events. They had to flee Missouri because of an argument about the abolition of slavery. Life in Minnesota was very challenging: nature was not nice to settlers, but then, settlers weren’t really nice to nature, either. The Senger family, especially Hazel, made connections with the local Dakota Sioux tribe, and they were involved with the Dakota uprising of 1862. All of this is news to poor Asa, who has never thought about his family like this before.

The story bounces back and forth between Hazel’s past and Asa and Hazel’s present. Part of it is family history, part is Asa’s life in 1876, and part is Asa’s coming to terms with his family’s turbulent past.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the school library.

School	Location	Call Number	Status
Diablo Valley College	Stacks	PS3613.A524 N54 2007	AVAILABLE

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Antioch	Young Adult	YA FIC MALTMAN, T.	In library
Dougherty Station (San Ramon)	Young Adult	YA FIC MALTMAN, T.	In library
El Cerrito	Young Adult	YA FIC MALTMAN, T.	In library
Hercules	Young Adult	YA FIC MALTMAN, T.	In library
Orinda	Young Adult	YA FIC MALTMAN, T.	In library
Pinole	Young Adult	YA FIC MALTMAN, T.	In library
San Ramon	Young Adult	YA FIC MALTMAN, T.	In library
Ygnacio Valley (Walnut Creek)	Young Adult	YA FIC MALTMAN, T.	Checked out, due 2/7/12

This list was last updated January 28, 2012 at 10:04 pm UTC. Click here to see newer information.

by Stephen G. Bloom and Peter Feldstein

The town of Oxford, Iowa had a population of just under 700 people in 1984, and Peter Feldstein photographed almost all of them. Twenty-one years later, in 2005, he and Stephen G. Bloom returned and tracked down everyone he had photographed before. Feldstein took new pictures, while Bloom wrote down their stories.

Twenty-one years is a long time. Babies become college graduates. High school students are suddenly middle-aged. People in their fifties may be retired or even dead. A lot can happen in that time. The photos and short biographies give you little window into the lives of hundreds of interesting people. If you want a little sample, check this out.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the school library.

School	Location	Call Number	Status
Diablo Valley College	Adult Basic Education	F629.O97 F45 2008	AVAILABLE

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Dougherty Station (San Ramon)	.	977.7655 FELDSTEIN	On Hold Shelf

Since Contra Costa libraries only have a few copies of The Oxford Project, you might want to request it through Link+. You get the book through your local library, so you will need to have a library card.

1. Read all the directions.
2. Click here to go to the Link+ search.
3. Click "Request this item."
4. Pick your local library. This will probably be "Contra Costa Public."
5. Give them your library card number and whatever else they need.
6. When the book comes in, your library will call you.

You might want to read the rules for borrowing books before you request anything.

If you want to check on the book or cancel your order, go here.
This list was last updated February 6, 2012 at 7:55 pm UTC.

by Philomena Keet

Unlike Style Deficit Disorder, this book wanders around Tokyo exploring various fashion “tribes” of the city, including flashy “gals,” Victorian doll-like gothic lolitas, cosplayers, and chic Ginza-neighborhood fashionistas. If you read manga or watch anime, you’ve probably seen all of these types. If you’re interested in high fashion or street fashion, you’ve probably seen these looks copied by American or European designers. This book includes five themed chapters with lots of candid photos of normal people in their outfits, photos of their accessories (even their manicures!), as well as explanations and interviews with both designers and fans, information about shops and costs, etc. Several reviewers noted that this book was interesting because it includes more guys and more people who are over 18 compared to other books on Japanese fashion. It also includes not just the typical “freaky” or subcultural fashions that foreigners usually focus on, but also mainstream examples of work clothing, upscale thirtysomethings’ fashions, and the expensive kimono that young women wear for their coming-of-age-ceremony when they’re 20 years old.

Where to Find It

1. Read all the directions.
2. Click here to go to the Link+ search.
3. Click "Request this item."
4. Pick your local library. This will probably be "Contra Costa Public."
5. Give them your library card number and whatever else they need.
6. When the book comes in, your library will call you.

You might want to read the rules for borrowing books before you request anything.

If you want to check on the book or cancel your order, go here.
This list was last updated December 31, 2009.

by Tiffany Godoy

Remember when Gwen Stefani was trying to borrow the Japanese street fashion image? You can read about the real thing in this book, although Japanese fashion changes pretty quickly–so once you’ve read about the terms and brands in this book and The Tokyo Look Book, you’ll have to go online to catch up with what’s popular now. This book explores the different aspects of Harajuku, which spawns tomorrow’s trends and often results in US fashion designers running several steps behind the random creativity of Harajuku’s strange mix of DIY teens and haute couture. There are about 200 photos, and essays by Japanese and American fashion editors, fashion designers, makeup master Shu Uemura, etc., covering everything from history to music to magazines. This isn’t just a picture book: many of the essays are pretty serious (so yes, you could probably use this as a reference in certain classes!) and some Amazon reviewers called this book a “must-have” for anyone serious about fashion design or Japanese pop culture.

You can read some of it online through Google Books.

Where to Find It

1. Read all the directions.
2. Click here to go to the Link+ search.
3. Click "Request this item."
4. Pick your local library. This will probably be "Contra Costa Public."
5. Give them your library card number and whatever else they need.
6. When the book comes in, your library will call you.

You might want to read the rules for borrowing books before you request anything.

If you want to check on the book or cancel your order, go here.
This list was last updated December 31, 2009.

by Steven Gould

Jumper tells the story of a young man who discovers that he can teleport. He steals a million dollars and then travels the world, eating at nice restaurants, attending plays, and foiling terrorists. There is a movie based on this book, but it tells a very different story.

Warning: Domestic abuse is a major theme in Jumper. The story has a good ending, but if you would rather not read a graphic description of the main character’s father attacking him on page 2, you might not want to read this.

You can look it up on Wikipedia.

You can read some of the book online through Google Books. Also, the author is telling the story through Twitter, if you like Twitter.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the school library.

School	Location	Call Number	Status
Contra Costa College	Stacks	PS3557.O8947 J8 1993	AVAILABLE

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Bay Point	Young Adult	S GOULD	In library
Bay Point	Paperbacks	S GOULD	In library
Clayton	Science Fiction	S GOULD	In library
Danville	Paperbacks	S GOULD	In library
El Cerrito	Science Fiction	S GOULD	Checked out, due 2/18/12
El Sobrante	Young Adult	S GOULD	In library
Hercules	Science Fiction	S GOULD, S.	Checked out, due 3/1/12
Kensington	Science Fiction	S GOULD	In library
Moraga	Young Adult	S GOULD	Checked out, due 3/26/12
Moraga	Science Fiction	S GOULD	In library
Oakley	Science Fiction	S GOULD	In library
Pinole	Young Adult	S GOULD	In library
Pinole	Young Adult	S GOULD	In library
San Pablo	Young Adult	S GOULD	In library
San Pablo	Science Fiction	S GOULD	In library

This list was last updated February 6, 2012 at 5:32 am UTC.

by Steve Grody and James Prigoff

Graffiti L.A. covers the history of graffiti from the 1930′s until the 21st century. It includes hundreds of photographs, as well as interviews with graffiti artists. It is supposed to come with a CD-ROM, too.

If you want even more, check out Steve Grody’s website, linked above. It has some stuff that was cut from the book because it was too long, plus other material.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Dougherty Station (San Ramon)	.	751.73097 GRODY	In library
Hercules	.	751.73097 GRODY	In library
Lafayette	.	751.73097 GRODY	In library
Pleasant Hill	.	751.73097 GRODY	Checked out, due 2/15/12
Richmond	Main Teens Book	751.7309 Grody	DUE 02-21-09

This list was last updated February 3, 2012 at 2:43 am UTC. Click here to see newer information.

by Dawoud Bey

Dawoud Bey is a photographer who specializes in portraits. Class Pictures contains photographs of high school students with short autobiographies each student wrote.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Danville	.	779.2 BEY	In library
Lafayette	.	779.2 BEY	In library
Orinda	Young Adult	779.2 BEY	In library

This list was last updated February 1, 2012 at 3:15 am UTC. Click here to see newer information.

by Ina Saltz

Body Type explores and celebrates tattoos of one specific thing: words. The author includes a lot of pictures, as well as comments on the designs of the letters and some of the stories behind these tattoos.

You can see thirteen of the pictures at the author’s website.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Lafayette	.	391.65 SALTZ	In library

Since Contra Costa libraries only have one copy of Body Type, you might want to request it through Link+. You get the book through your local library, so you will need to have a library card.

1. Read all the directions.
2. Click here to go to the Link+ search.
3. Click "Request this item."
4. Pick your local library. This will probably be "Contra Costa Public."
5. Give them your library card number and whatever else they need.
6. When the book comes in, your library will call you.

You might want to read the rules for borrowing books before you request anything.

If you want to check on the book or cancel your order, go here.
This list was last updated February 1, 2012 at 3:10 am UTC. Click here to see newer information.