Ever played the game Balderdash? It's my favorite game. The group of players is given a word, or a title of a movie, or an acronym, etc, and each player tries to make up a believable-sounding definition or synopsis, etc. They're written on slips of paper, while one person writes the real answer, and then they are all read aloud. Each player votes on the option that sounds the most believable to them, and a player earns a point for each vote his or her answer received. It's important to play with the right people, however, because you have to put your creative mind on display. Depending on who you're with, that can be nerve-racking.
Every week when I scan through the NYT Best Sellers lists in the Book Review, I get such a kick out of the one-sentence synopsis of the books - especially the Mass-Market ones. Who would believe that these plot summaries make up the most widely read (or just bought) books in America? Sometimes they are so far-fetched or tired that they'd never even get a vote in a round of Balderdash.
For instance:
#12, Mass-Market Fiction: "When ___'s boyfriend is kidnapped, she goes to Mississippi to find him with the help of an undead Elvis." I left the name out because it would take away from the fun.
#10, Trade Fiction: "A successful married artist is attracted to a billionaire on Nantucket." Really? That's supposed to lure me in to want to read the book???
#11, Fiction: "Intrigue on the planet Safehold" Does the book not even deserve a full sentence? Just how intriguing can it be?
#3, Nonfiction: "Stopping President Obama before he transforms American into a socialist state" Okay, now that actually sounds interesting. But I don't think I'd vote for it in a game of Balderdash.
I've seen better ones on the lists...I'll have to remember to post them.
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