I wouldn't ask you to skip any of the books. It's true that nothing (in the grander story) moves in the middle 5 or so books, but there is a lot of fun events a

I wouldn't ask you to skip any of the books. It's true that nothing (in the grander story) moves in the middle 5 or so books, but there is a lot of fun events and character interactions that do feel like it is worth it. The later few books, especially the ones by Sanderson are definitely a good payoff for the investment in the middle few.