Reading

Coventry has a rich history of music from the Ska movement, with The Specials and Selector, through to Hazel O'Connor and the Primitives and more recently The Enemy, with their number one album 'We live and die in these towns'

We have put together some great titles at Central library to celebrate the history of music, including Ruth Cherrington's 'The dirty stop out's guide to 1970's Coventry' and Daniel Rachel's 'Walls come tumbling down - The music and politics of rock against racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge' Alongside fiction titles including Iain Banks, 'Espedair Street and Kevin Sampson, 'Powder'

All of the below books are available to reserve through our online catalogue. Haven't got a library card? Find out how to join.

6 Featured titles with blurbs:

Iain Banks, Espedair Street

Danny used to be a famous - not to say infamous - rock star. Maybe still is. At 31, he realises he only has two problems: the past and the future. He knows how bad the past has been. But the future - well, the future is something else.

Kelvin Sampson, Powder

Keva McCluskey craves success. Other bands are making it big and now his worst enemy is on MTV. Without being recognised among the great songwriters of our time, Keva feels he cannot confront his horrific past. That's why he formed the Grams.

Louise Wener, different for Girls

This is a story of an ordinary girl's transformation from awkward 80s suburban pop geek to 90s jet-set pop goddess. It's about the embarrassments of growing up and experimenting with who you are and how pop music is both the comic and life-affirming soundtrack that runs through it all.

Gareth Murphy, COWBOYS AND INDIES

COWBOYS AND INDIES is the story of the 'record men' - the mavericks and moguls who have shaped the music industry from the first sound machines of the 1850s through to today's digital streams.

Ruth Cherrington,The Dirty Stop Out's Guide to 1970s Coventry

The Dirty Stop Out's Guide to 1970s Coventry celebrates the city's vibrant, varied and full-on nightlife of the era. The decade may have an image problem because of industrial strife, strikes and racial tensions but this new book explains how Coventry's music and entertainment scene provided something for everyone, from start to finish, and helped bring people together.

Northern soul

Northern Soul is the story of a youth culture in the 1970's, which changed a generation.

No longer satisfied with the prospect of a small town life and a factory production line two young boys dream of going to America to discover rare records which will help them become the best DJ's on the scene. This journey forces them to confront rivalry, violence and drug abuse and their friendship is tested to the limit. This is Northern Soul.

Read the official roadies, rock and record reads bookmark. The bookmark also contains the full list of books within this collection.