The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino

The book I will read next, a Christmas present from my sister, is a special order and should be here within two or three days. It's a translation into English of an epic poem by an Indian writer during the colonial era. British educated, he was inspired by Virgil, Spenser and especially Milton to present a well-known myth of India in Miltonesque form. Should be fascinating.

EKL and I have chosen to read next a book by a late-20th century Italian author, Italo Calvino. Written in the late 60s, it's about a group of travelers who spend the night at an inn that was once a castle and sit down to dinner, only to find they have all inexplicably been struck dumb. Their only way of communicating is through tarot cards, and they take turns trying to tell the story of their lives and/or the journey they're on while the others try to decipher the meaning. I think it's the author's take on (or response to) the Canterbury Tales, eventhough no words are spoken.