Summarizing the plot

If there's one thing I hate, it's having to come up with an answer to the question, "What's your book about?" Some people can distill an entire book down to one pithy sentence - I am not one of these people. It's especially difficult with non-genre stories ("See, there are these people, and stuff happens, and...").

For a humorous take on the subject, check out the Uncomfortable Plot Summaries posting at postmodernbarney.com. My favorites are for Serenity (Men fight for possession of scantily clad, mentally ill teenage girl), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (Father becomes more involved in teenage daughter's life), and Sophie's Choice (Mother loves one of her kids way more than the other one). Check it out, and be sure to read the comments for more summaries.