I actually almost didn't read the books because of the TV show. There were a few people I encountered who were real a-holes about the books being more fantastic, which I grant is often the case, but they were sort of ramrodding me not to watch the series and read the books instead.
So, out of sheer contrariness, I refused to read the books but watched the whole series and enjoyed it.
Then, later, I picked up the Codex Alera, enjoyed it immensely. I finished it about the same time as a friend recommended the Dresden Files to me- I hadn't realized they were by the same author. So I went and grabbed all the Dresden books and read them through the past week. I am now reading them all again, slightly slower, because the first time I didn't read them so much as voraciously devour them.