I've never read it. Where do I start?

Why not Genesis?

Genesis is the first book, but the Bible isn't a novel and isn't arranged in reading order. Start at page one and you'll hit long sections of ancient legal material within a few weeks. Plenty of committed Christians have died on that hill.

Start with Jesus instead. He's the point everything else is organised around, so starting there makes the rest make sense later.

The simplest possible plan

1. Day 1Read Mark chapter 1. It's about five minutes. Don't look anything up.
2. Day 2Read Mark 2. Same again. Notice who he spends time with.
3. ThenCarry on through Mark at whatever pace suits you. Sixteen chapters. Missing days is allowed and doesn't reset anything.
4. AfterIf you want more, read John next — slower, stranger, more openly making a case.

Any translation works. If you want one picked for you, the NIV is clear and easy to find, in print or free online.

Two things that make it easier

First: read it like a story, not a manual. You're getting to know a person, not extracting instructions.

Second: if something baffles or annoys you, that's a normal reaction and not a sign you're doing it wrong. Note it and keep going. Some of it baffles people who've been reading it for forty years.

Still unsure what you're holding? Go back to what the Bible actually is.