Won't Your cookbooks get wet? You need something water and rust resistant. Potted herbs will look great plus easy to water.

There are indoor plants that will grow without direct sunlight -- just go to your local garden center and ask.

You could do something like succulents or cactuses -- they don't grow big, so won't block a lot of light.

You could also do a shelf full of colored glass jars.

Try this:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70186603/

We have a kitchen garden window that I can't figure out what to do with. It sits behind the sink so on the counter level I store our fruits and veggies.
There is a glass shelf (16" D) that I would love to put some pretty pots with herbs or flowers in but we don't get any direct sunlight from that window so I am not sure anything would survive?
I thought of using it to store cookbooks or serving pieces but it is the only window in our galley kitchen so I don't want to block the light so much.

Any ideas?