I have just completed two books by Pat Conroy.. "Prince of Tides" and "Beach Music"... the second hit me really hard... I picked it at random at a used book sale. One of the stories within it talks about the main character dealing with his mother being diagnosed with cancer -- my mother happens to be going thru the same, and I had just found out a day or so before getting this book that she wasn't expected to make it past a couple weeks (that was a few weeks back, she is doing somewhat better now, btw). Anyways, it is a very moving book that I would recommend.

Brian