Whatever you do, don't judge the Dresden files by book 1 or even book 2. Book 3 is where it gets good at at that point you find yourself hooked enough to need to know what happens next. If I didn't have numerous people tell me book 3 is where he learned to write and be interesting with Harry (who can be difficult to like), I would have given up early and then missed out. There are some great characters and plot points later on in the series; it's worth it to get there.