My DH prefers a chronological reading starting with Magician’s Nephew, but I think LW&W should be read first. There is a big disagreement among fans as to which order the books should be read in. lol
I honestly can’t remember the order we read them in…I know we listed to Magician’s Nephew on CD in the car, but I can’t remember if we read LW&W first or not.
Since you aren’t wanting to read the ones that they watched, I think Magician’s Nephew would be a good starting place.