Dating homework: Books to help you meet that perfect match

There's a lot of advice that goes into the world of modern matchmaking -- and throughout the past week, we've provided you with a heavy handful of it. But writing this week's cover story, "Money can buy you love, if you have a contract with this Harvard MBA," took a great deal more research than our collection of dating tips. Below is the list of romantic homework assigned by local matchmakers during the reporting process. Find a Husband After 35 By Rachel Greenwald First, let's start with the focus of our feature story, Rachel Greenwald. In her first tome --- the one that introduced her to the matchmaking industry -- Greenwald uses marketing techniques learned at her alma mater and honed in her business days to create a capital-P Program for attracting the correct mate. It worked for her: She found husband Brad Greenwald by following her own rules.

Have Him at Hello By Rachel Greenwald For her second and most recent advice book, Greenwald again used her institutional knowledge, this time calling on her grad school research capabilities to interview 1,000 single men about their romantic dos and don'ts The project lasted ten years before completion and has since been republished in various versions.

If I'm So Wonderful, Why Am I Still Single? By Susan Page Some books are harder to read than others, so if your matchmaker recommends this one, you should pay attention to the first half of its title. Like Greenwald's Program, the process laid out inside this book focuses on refining one's dating expectations in preparation for a realistic and productive search.

The Four-Man Plan By Cindy Lu Recommended by local matchmakerJaime Richards, this book is a sassier, funnier and more vulgar approach to the single life than most. The goal here is to develop multiple options before narrowing them down, leaving its readers with strategic and literal room for up to four men at once. (The plan can also be adapted for male readers.)

Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough By Lori Gottleib A recurring theme of Greenwald's relationship advice is the need for an open mind. Although the title of this book she recommends puts a depressing face on that concept, it promotes the point. Online dating, and dating in general, is most successful if it includes a wide swath of options, she says. (Note: This means forgetting one specific "type.")

More from our Follow That Story archive: "Matchmakers offer tips on how to sell yourself -- and why a matchmaker can help," "Your friends' comments on your love life can actually help your profile,""What your intentionally candid profile photo says about you," and "What is your favorite spot for a first date in Denver?"