IKEA? Seriously, sometimes you can't buy all the materials for some of their RTA (ready to assemble) stuff.

I wish i knew what tools you have and know how to use. Under the circumstances about all I can suggest is measure and cut carfully. To construct simple,sturdy and inexpensive shelves you need 1x12 boards or a sheet of 3/4tr plywood ripped into four pieces 8' long. You also need some 1x3 boards. Lay two wide boards togeather as uprights and mark for shelves that will accomindate your tallest books/jars,plus 3" to allow for shelf thickness and to alow working room. Cut another wide board to desired overall shelf unit width minus 2". Cut 1x3 board into lingths equal to 12" shelves and nail them on lines drawn earlier repersenting shelf distance apart. Lay shelves on 1x3s and nail in place. Cut two pieces of 1x3 to same leingth as shelves and place one at rear beneath top shelf, nail in place through uprights and shelf. Install the other 1x3 beneath center shelf. These two 1x3s will hold unit to wall by nailing through them into wall studs. That's about as basic as shelves come and they are strong. After you build a couple you will see where same design can be made more atractive by substituting quarter round for side ledgers and mitering them at front. After that dados in uprights replace ledgers altogeather. Then you will custom design to your taste. It's much easier to show than tell but I hope all that make's sense.

Besides not knowing your skill level, some other questions would be how attractive these shelves need to be and are we talking about something freestanding (like bookcase) or will they be attached to the wall?

For ease of installation and height adjustment plus ready access to prefabricated components, it's pretty hard to beat ordinary standards and brackets. They're usually a pretty cost effective solution and this time of the year many of retailer have sales on such stuff. They're easy to install and only require a few tools.

One place you might look for ideas is "The Family Handyman" magazine. They frequently do shelving projects. One in the last year or two is just using melamine shelves and uprights with adjustable shelf support holes already drilled in. Just cut shelves to length, screw the frame together and you're almost done.

ana-white.com is a good place to start.

What tools do you have, and have you ever done any sewing or quilting?

Also chiming in about ana-white.com

I'm a big fan of the Kreg pocket-hole jig, because you just use a drill, which is pretty easy to use for a beginner. I have a lumberyard near me that will cut all my wood for about $5 or $7, no matter how many cuts there are. And then I just drill holes and drive screw.

YouTube has some nice videos about "pocket hole jigs" and "pocket hole construction" (another search term: "Kreg jig"). Watch some of them and see how you feel--do you feel intimidated, or do you see them and think, "Gee, that doesn't look that hard..."

The biggest thing is to plan out the size that you want (graph paper helps, but remember that you'll probably be using 3/4-inch-thick lumber).

Also--the least labor-intensive way to make shelving is to stack bricks between boards.

I've always sort of wanted to make a set of shelves using 2x4s cut into lengths (about 8" long for shelves made of 9-inch-wide boards) instead. Paint each 2x4 piece a bright color, and stack them, using "blind nails" (double-ended nails) between each of them so they can't slide around.

http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/Blind-Nail-Kit-28p9962.htm

You'd only need to get someone to cut the boards and the 2x4s to the right length.

I second Mike's suggestion of standards and brackets, if you are not yet handy (I refuse to say you are NOT handy, since you might be, if you gave it a try!)

"I second Mike's suggestion of standards and brackets, if you are not yet handy"

I tur_ ,,,,,,,,, I say make it three for me. (: I also like Tally's Kreg Jig for this type thing. I own one and think it make's child's play of joints,professional quility and appearance as well. Fastening legs, aprons and small table top assemblies is my favorite Kreg chore. I guess you are wondering why I suggested dragging out hammer and nails to fashion 1x12s into shelves. Well,,,,it's,,,it's like,I didn't think,,,, now I recall,I figured if kat learned doing it Smith Barney style she would be a whiz when she disovered all the easy methods. Oh btw,if you use the Kreg,lay everything on a dead level surface during assembly. Ulike my wimpy nails which alow racking the unit if you build it out of square,the Kreg screws will not budge once in place.

My parents built shelves with bricks when they were in college (in the late 50's). Those bricks made four moves with them, but stayed put when Mom sold her house and moved to an apartment. They've also been many colors - for many years they were dark brown.This photo was taken just before the house sold (which is why everything is bare).

There are dowels running through the bricks and boards, holding everything together.

I did a similar thing in my house for CDs and DVDs, only I left the dowels exposed, and put pegs in the dowels to hold the shelves up. I made a jig and used a drill press to make sure all the holes aligned in both the boards and the shelves. The whole thing is mounted to the wall with L-brackets. I was pretty excited to utilize the edge of a hallway for media storage! The shelves are 6" wide, with some CD height and some DVD height. This would be a perfect width for paperbacks.

If someone didn't have a drill press, they could use jig to keep their drill perfectly perpendicular. (the homemade L-shape would work better with a hole saw than with a forstner bit)
http://www.woodmagazine.com/videos/v/55531960/perpendicular-holes-without-a-drill-press.htm

http://www.rockler.com/how-to/accurate-drilling-without-a-drill-press/

http://www.woodmagazine.com/blogs/woodworking-blog/2016/01/12/idea-shop-6-paycheck-4-teach-an-old-drill-new-tricks/


And, you could drill holes in the first board, and then clamp it to all of the other boards, one at a time. It would probably serve as a jig to keep your hole straight up and down.

Funny you again mention challenge of keeping holes perpendicular. You started me thinking about dowels in place of blind nails for shelves you mentioned earlier in this thread. I've wondered if a drill can be reto-fitted with a bull's eye level and if so how accurate it might be. I don't recall brand name but someone incorprate's a bull's eye on their drill. How about dowel center(little metal button type) and half a dowel jig for the chore mentioned in your last post? Are you takeing notes Kat?????? Just asking since I would have expected some questions from you by now.

off to google "bull's eye level"....

Oh, and actually--hole saws aren't often that hard to get a perpendicular hole with, actually; you set them flat on the board to start.

Whatdidgee you think about the bull's eye tally? Did you run across one suitable for drill attachment? It would surly come in handy.

They're really cool! My worry is that I don't know if I could stick them to my drill; it's all curved sides. And would they show themselves to be level when the drill wasn't actually perpendicular?

This is my drill
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Starter-Drill-Kit-P1810/205202601?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D25T-PowerTools%7c&gclid=Cj0KEQjwwpm3BRDuh5awn4qJpLwBEiQAATTAQdcwr8ICVJQjum92FZcPN29GchRQBLZre9a2AXRY2-caAiZQ8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

My cuncurns exactly but if one could be mounted to show when driill is level it would be a time saver for sure.

When I'm Queen of the World, all drills will be required to come w/ a spirit level (or two).

Looks like the OP disappeared.... :(