Romance? Read all about it

— Tony Bravo, tbravo@sfchronicle.com

“Bogie & Bacall: Love Lessons from a Legendary Romance” by Cindy de la Hoz (Running Press, $15, 128 pages): One of the greatest romances of the 20th century, on and offscreen, was sparked by one of the best lines in film history: “You know how to whistle, don’t you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.” The words were spoken by Lauren Bacall to Humphrey Bogart in their first film together, “To Have and Have Not,” and in Cindy de la Hoz’s delicious morsel of a read, she provides one-page lessons inspired by the romance of Bogie and Bacall packed with pictures of one of old Hollywood’s most famous couples.

“The Sex & Pleasure Book: Good Vibrations Guide to Great Sex for Everyone” by Carol Queen with Shar Rednour (BarnabyLTD, LLC, $24.95, 743 pages): When it comes to sex and sexuality, resident Good Vibrations sexologist Carol Queen is, well, the queen. This all-encompassing guide offers helpful advice on how to communicate with your partner about your pleasure, what questions to ask in your sex life (replace “Am I normal?” with “Do I desire it?”), and it even has a section called “GPS for the body: An erogenous zone of your pleasure parts.” That’s way better than Google maps!

“A Red Like No Other: How Cochineal Colored the World” edited by Carmella Padilla and Barbara Anderson (Rizzoli, $60, 320 pages): Red is the color of passion, the color of love and, as Diana Vreeland said, “the great clarifier.” This fascinating art tome follows the history of the color through the ages and delves into the symbology of the fiercest hue in the spectrum.

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë (Penguin Classics, 624 pages): For those unfamiliar with Brontë’s title heroine and her complicated beau, Mr. Rochester, you’re in for a treat. Jane is no damsel in distress — read how she goes from abused orphan to mistress of her own fate.

“Brokeback Mountain” short story from “Close Range: Wyoming Stories” by Annie Proulx (Scribner, 285 pages): Enis del Mar and Jack Twist develop a love that dares not speak its name while herding sheep on Brokeback. Over the years, they manage to get together for yearly liaisons, but alas, the times and circumstances of their passion were against them.

“The Price of Salt” by Patricia Highsmith (Dover Publications, 256 pages): This story of forbidden lesbian love in 1950s New York is full of yearning and gorgeous prose. The book was the basis for the Todd Haines film “Carol” starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.