You started with The Queen of the Damned, or with Interview with the Vampire? Definitely read the first 3 books in the series, those are are good. 

The “crackyness” that we make fun of it for sort of happens at book 4, Tale of the Body Thief, which is still a great story (especially compared to the later books)…

I think you should read it all. Especially if there are certain characters you’re beginning to feel more of an attachment to. If you love Armand, for example, you should read The Vampire Armand. If you love Marius, reading Blood & Gold would be of interest to you. 

I think any VC fan should read them all, read lots of fanfic, and decide on their own what they consider to be “the real story.” Your headcanon may vary from mine, but that doesn’t make you a lesser/greater fan. You can ignore the crackyness.

Loving the characters makes you a fan *u*