LEGO Icons 11379 Bookshop: Book Nook Review, 1,690 Pieces and No Built-In Lighting

LEGO Icons 11379 Bookshop: Book Nook makes a strong case for the book nook as a display model: its two-level shop is detailed, inviting and designed to sit among real books. The trade-off is familiar from earlier LEGO book nooks. The interior is hardest to appreciate when the model is closed, and there’s no built-in lighting to bring the scene to life on a shelf.

The 1,690-piece set is priced at €129.99. It was available for preorder when the review was published and is listed for release on October 1, 2026. The review describes it as LEGO’s first unlicensed book nook, following licensed releases based on Sherlock Holmes, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

A compact shop with room to explore

The book-shaped build opens to reveal a bookshop arranged across two levels. An interior staircase connects the floors, while the layout mixes tall shelves with a small entrance counter and an upstairs reading nook furnished with an armchair. Small details and hidden features among the shelves give the scene more to discover than a simple wall of books.

That variety helps the model feel like a complete little setting, rather than a row of shelves squeezed into a book-shaped case. The review also finds the shelving more convincing than the library details in the 2020 LEGO Creator Expert 10270 Bookshop, and the whole scene more ambitious than LEGO Ideas 40698 Books Are My Passion, a set offered as a gift in 2024.

Its display format brings a practical compromise, though. With the book closed, it’s difficult to see much of the interior. Opening it fully, or leaving it partly open, gives the details room to show; that makes the model easier to enjoy on a table than when it’s tucked tightly between books. The upper opening lets in some ambient light, but the review finds it insufficient to illuminate the scene, even with a lamp or spotlight placed above.

Display details and lingering compromises

The shelves are the model’s visual anchor, and they use a large number of small elements to create their packed appearance. That part count may sound generous, but the reviewer questions whether it explains the price increase over previous book nooks, given how many of those pieces go into the shelving.

Some scenic details are stickers, including the kitschy views through the windows. That’s a letdown on a display model aimed at adult builders, especially beside the printed Brickville Books tiles at the front. The set includes two minifigures to add activity, although the review would have welcomed more. Space inside is limited when the book is closed, which also constrains how much the figures can contribute to the scene.

The outer sides keep to a restrained design, with exposed studs and a simple pattern. They can look unfinished when examined closely, but a book nook is meant to sit between books, where those panels may be partly hidden. Covering every surface with tiles would also change the look and feel of the book-shaped build.

A book nook best displayed open

Lighting remains the clearest missed opportunity. A light source inside the model could make the shop legible when closed and reinforce the miniature-world effect that makes book nooks appealing. Here, outside light has to do the work, and the review says it doesn’t recreate the look of illumination from within.

For collectors who enjoy bookshops and literary displays, 11379 offers a carefully arranged, unlicensed scene with more depth than a simple shelf vignette. Its best features are easiest to see with the build open, while stickers, limited room for the minifigures and the €129.99 price hold it back. The reviewer suggests comparing prices with Amazon or other sellers; the set’s appeal will depend on whether its detailed interior earns a place displayed open on your shelf.

LEGO provided the set for this review. Find LEGO Icons 11379 Bookshop: Book Nook on LEGO’s online shop.