I also read Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series and her Alpha and Omega series, which are about werewolves in modern day (and other assorted magical creatures) and that's really awesome. But on the other hand, I also read the Anita Blake books which are hilariously bad. So it's sort of a toss up in terms of what is going to get me to read books, I think.

Still, I'm definitely going to give the Dresden series a try, because I know a bunch of people who read them and like them.