In its latest installment, the Spider-man franchise tries to excite us with the promise of web-slinging action with a twist of angst only to come up short.

Browsing through the romance section at a local book store, I spotted an author I'd never seen before. Curious, I picked it up and quickly read the blurb on the back. The book's premise was interesting enough to make me want to give it a chance. But this novel by Allie MacKay - who also writes medieval romances under the name Sue-Ellen Welfonder - starts out promising but flounders with each successive page.

Almost six years ago, I stepped onto Northern's campus as a wide-eyed freshman. I was young, optimistic and determined. I knew what I was going to do after I graduated. I was going to be a public school guidance counselor, because I wanted to help kids. For five years I was a behavior analysis major.