Beach listening is even more important than beach reading. When you're stuck in a traffic jam, or negotiating crowded highways en route to an ocean vacation a fast-paced novel can make all the difference.

Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin are former nannies and the co-authors of The Nanny Diaries , read by Julia Roberts (Random House, abridged, $25.00; 3 cassettes, approx. 5 hrs). Their name-brand descriptions of the lives of the wealthy work well for comedic purpose, but there's also a tender side to this story. The young hero is a four-year-old boy who is funny, smart and lovable and his playful, clever nanny cares for the child in a way his over-privileged, self-indulgent parents can't, or won't. This poignant satire is written with heart and without syrup. Robert's funny-smart reading is the perfect vehicle for the story's irony and sarcasm.

Jeanne Ray's Step Ball Change is read by the author (Brilliance Audio, $24.95; unabridged, 4 cassettes, approx. 6 hours). The story covers a short period in the life of Caroline McSwain, a woman headed to happy retirement until the complexities of life start adding up. A cracked foundation makes renovation go on forever, her daughter's engaged to the richest boy in Raleigh and the anticipated 900 wedding guests will suck the retirement account dry, her sister Taffy moves in; all kinds of disruptions cause shifts in her expected peace. Ray takes a seldom discussed period of life, juices it up with interesting dramas, shows a family whose caring calms chaos and expresses all of these with humor. The unique characters and lively funny reading of fast-paced writing make the tape zip along.

Annie Ward is a film-maker. Her first novel, read by Aasne Vigesaa is The Making of June (Brilliance, $24.95, abridged, 4 cassettes, approx 6 hours). Her cinematic bent shows in her novel's quick-pacing, visual quality, and witty, believable dialogue. Ward has lived in Bulgaria and that's where she sets the story, placing in its midst her heroine, June Carver, a young attractive California production assistant who has followed her academic husband on a research mission. There's more to June than meets the eye and we see her develop from a superficial party girl to someone who cares deeply about political issues in Bulgaria. As she learns, so do we, for the characters reveal a horrifying picture of the Bulgarian Mafia and the threat poverty imposes. Yet the style is breezy and comic enough to make this an easy listen. So easy, in fact, you hardly realize the trouble June's in. Neither does she and the shared experience of listener and protagonist lets one feel how quickly one can become embroiled in a dangerous political situation in a turbulent country. The story would not be as convincing, nor the dialogue so involving without the skillful way Vigesaa negotiates a wide range of personalities, moods and accents.

If you can't get enough of Rebecca Wells' YaYa culture, try Little Altars Everywhere, performed by Judith Ivy (HarperAudio, $39.95; unabridged 7 cassettes; 11 hours) This prequel expands on stories of Sidda's growing up memories. These are told in a number of voices with unblinking honesty and variety that Ivey handles well. She swings easily from Sidda's remembrances to Vivi's throaty richness, to the sidelines perspective of their black neighbors and employees, Willetta and Cheney. There's a laugh-out-loud quality in many tales and tinges of sadness that may bring tears in others. High humor and high drama are balanced in this fast listen. If you're left wanting more, Ivey also reads Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (HarperAudio, $39.95; unabridged, 14 hours, 10 cassettes).