I grew up in the church so I thought I knew all the popular stories (most of which happened in the first few books of the Bible and the rest was news to me). The children's stories leave out some big details. For example, Jonah was in the whale of the belly because he jumped on a boat trying to run away from God. God brought upon a storm and the other sailors feared for their lives. At that time, Jonah told them to through him overboard and the storm would stop. And it did. That's when God sent the big fish to save Jonah from drowning. I don't ever recall learning that he first disobeyed God. In fact, a lot of the Old Testament is about the people of Judah and Israel disobeying God. He was an extremely wrathful God leading up to Jesus' birth. I had no idea how wrathful.
I really enjoyed the book of Proverbs written by King Solomon who asked God for all the wisdom in the world, which was given to him. Much of this book is about how one should live their lives in God's way. I find it to be very applicable to life today. I also kept an eye out for any mention of abortion and homosexuality as those are big issues that many people point to the Bible for their stance. I was also surprised (and bored) by how repetitive the books are.
In the end, I'm glad I read it all. I'm looking forward to the New Testament. Jesus enter stage right...