Bookslut breaks for Berlin

Though Chicago boasts a bevy of great litblogs, Jessa Crispin's Bookslut has always been at the forefront. But lo, today on her blog Jessa announces that she's leaving Chicago in favor of Berlin. Not much reason is given, other than she and Chicago seem to have had a bad breakup, and Berlin has lowered its Teutonic shoulder to her. The site will largely remain the same, she says, though of course operating on a different time zone.

Of course, it stands to reason that much of Bookslut's Chicago content will start to trail off, which is a shame. During her time here, Crispin has been generous with her attention to the local scene, in what has become an international publication. But to my mind, the site's most valuable asset to locals has been its first-rate reading series at the Hopleaf. And for a while now, that's been handled by Caroline Eick, who will carry it into the future. The Bookslut blog—largely links to other stories and the occasional review-in-miniature—has always struck me as far less essential and interesting than the well-considered Bookslut reviews, which Eick will also take over as the new managing editor.