I spent the weekend building simple bookcases for a school library. Here’s how I did my plywood and dado-joint construction:

At my old property in North Florida, I had an even more simple bookshelf design, where I built great-looking cinder block bookshelves:

You don’t have to spend a fortune on a bookshelf. I recommend the plywood versions if you like wood and have a raised foundation home, and I recommend the cinderblock bookshelves if you have a slab foundation and want a slick, modernist look.