Each month, Biographile sorts through all the upcoming releases in biography and memoir, across publishers, to provide a curated reading list of the month's most exciting new titles. Below are our picks for December 2013.

My Venice and Other Essays by Donna Leon

The fictional, Venetian Commissario Guido Brunetti is Donna Leon's brainchild. This month, we'll get a glimpse into the life of the woman behind the character with Grove Atlantic's My Venice and Other Essays, a compilation of fifty observational essays about an American in Venice. (12.3.13)

The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince by Jane Ridley

In The Heir Apparent, Jane Ridley details the life of King Edward VII, Queen Victoria’s firstborn son, who, for the bulk of his growing up was considered a gambling, womanizing black sheep of Buckingham Palace. Though he died nine years after ascending the throne in 1901, he quickly proved everyone wrong, becoming a highly lauded and effective monarch. (12.3.13)

Vidal vs. Mailer by Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal and Carole Mallory

Vidal vs. Mailer chronicles the decades-long rivalry between Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer, two of the foremost literary minds of their time, whose discord reached infamous heights when Mailer punched Vidal at a party thrown by Lally Weymouth. From the floor, Vidal calmly uttered, "Once again, words have failed Norman Mailer." (12.31.13)

The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking by Olivia Laing

Olivia Laing explores the connection between literary prowess and alcoholism in her new work, My Trip to Echo Spring. Laing dives into the lives of six legendary careers, namely, Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John Berryman, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver, to find that sometimes the most profound creativity comes at a price. (12.31.13)

Tell us, what are you most looking forward to reading this month?