It's a well known fact that the longer you are with someone, the more likely you are to get to know them better. With God it's no different as you've just attested to. I've never really read the entire bible but it is my favorite book and I might give you some advice. The bible is like life. The more you grow the more you begin to understand things you either didn't understand before or only thought you did. So reading it out of order isn't a bad thing.
It's actually already out of order. Much of the book is not in chronological context. The Gospel, consisting of the books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John will is a good place for any Christian, along with one of my personal favorites, Proverbs. Of course there are several other great books, but these are just some start up recommendations. Proverbs is probably the most down to earth book in the bible, but again, it's not necessarily in context. And a lot of it's sayings are obviously not absolute. Because it's a guide to perceptive wisdom, it's full of generalities. Understanding the bible is a task for most, but possible for any. I hope this has helped and thank you for sharing your testimony.