"Something Happened Yesterday" holds new, various, and abundant delights for the many fans of Bainbridge's novels, not least among them her exchanges with her readers like Fred, on the history of beryl (the gemstone), or like the committee for East Clyst's 'Cooker Prize' of a gas oven for winning authors. Pleasantly idiosyncratic, this collection of personal essays blends subtle observations of contemporary England with fond, personal memories of its past. The result is part diary, part memoir, all life.