Yes, reading the Guards books in order is a great deal of fun, watching the progression of Sam Vimes.

One of my friends feels strongly that I should start with Guards Guards. I'm a complete noob and have no idea where the best place is to jump in.

That is a great jumping point, as Connie says. I did the Guards books in order a couple years ago and it was awesome to see Vimes and the Watch grow and change. I think if you start by doing all those books in order, you get a strong backbone for Discworld since they're ones where Ankh-Morpork is a character in and of itself.

Also VETINARI.

I think I read Pyramids first, which was a good place to start, and then whatever I came across until I happened upon The Colour of Magic at which point I started going through mostly in publication order as affected by availability until I caught up and had to wait for something new to come out at which point I, of course, read in publication order. Worked for me, but would be hard to recreate exactly.

Guards Guards is a good place to start. I'm partial to the witches in general. You could make list of what would be easiest to get from your library and throw a dart at the list, read whatever title it hits.

Or you could read Nation which isn't Discworld at all but is great. While you decide where to start with Discworld.

I still have a pile of library books to get through first (Cherie Priest's second Lizzie Borden book, Chapelwood [which I got stalled on when I got Jenny Lawson's new book]; Libba Bray's second Diviners book, Lair of Dreams; a book about caring for elderly dogs (god damn it); and Dietland).

...I have a book problem.

I'm also deeply resentful there are no more new Harry Dresden books for now.

A book problem or a book opportunity?

And if you figure out what kind of opportunity that would be, let me know, as I may have it, too.

I approve of the Guards Guards progression.

I started with Small Gods, which - no matter what the graphic says - has very little connection to ANYTHING else. (Although it means I have a soft spot in my heart for Omnians, no matter how crazy they are.)

It makes Constable Visit-The-Heathen-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets more amusing.

Small Gods has always seemed like a good place to start because it is so stand alone-ish.

I don't know if I fully endorse the idea of reading all the Night's Watch books, for example, rather than mixing it up and getting a more holistic view of the Discworld gestalt, come to think of it.

reading all the Night's Watch books

Are you suggesting interspersing the Discworld books in among a publishing-order of the Watch books? Which is a good idea. Because the interpersonal developments amongst the Watch have their best effect, in my mind, when seen linearly.