Ploughed through by the Insomniac Book Cloub have been "Spanish Leaves" (Honor Tracy), "Babel in Spain" (John Haycraft), "North of Naples, South of Rome" (Paolo Tullio), and "A House in Italy" (Daphne Phelps). All these were scooped at random from the upstairs shelves of the main library branch. Coincidentally, both "Spanish Leaves" and "Babel in Spain" are set in the waning days of Franco. Both have a distincly fifties-ish aura, and are no less interesting for that. "North of Naples, South of Rome" has not much of the author's personality in it. "A House in Sicily" has perhaps a bit too much, and not an engaging one, but there are some good character sketches, particulary of members of her household staff and of Henry Faulkner, of whom I'd never before heard. As always, now that I have, I'll find his name popping up everywhere.