The Old Testament is very interesting. As someone with a history degree, it helps you understand a lot about the world, especially the ancient Middle East. A lot of it is applicable to the Middle East today. Some books are pretty boring (Dueteronomy, Numbers, the first 12 or so chapters of First Chronicles). Some of the stories are pretty cool (Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat, Samson).
I was pretty surprised at people’s comments on Esther. In the Greek version (which is the version that Catholics consider cannonical), God is mentioned; Esther prayed to Him. The Greek version has a more religious tone than the Hebrew version.
I really enjoyed Daniel, especially Bel and the Dragon (ch. 14), which is the first thing I check in any translation of the Dueterocannon. It shows the folly of idolatry. I think it was actually meant to be humorous.
The books of Chronicles are good, after the grueling 12 and a half chapters of lists. I would recommend them to read them before the books of Samuel and Kings (they are more concise). Though notably absent are the bad things that David and Solomon did that are mentioned in Samuel and Kings, such as David’s cheating and then having his sons go to war with him and Solomon’s idol worship.
Sirach has a lot of great wisdom contained within its pages. Jesus bin Sira was a very smart man. I believe St. Paul was familiar with it and was strongly influenced by it. Also, many early converts to Christianity had been reading this book. Historical value aside, it contains a lot of teachings about living that people today should read. It’s a shame protestants are not familiar with this book, because it has some great timeless wisdom in it.
“A man who has the habit of abusive language will never mature in character as long as he lives.” Sirach 23:15 – (NAB)
I would have to say my favorites are (in no particular order) Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Psalms (great for prayer), Daniel, Sirach, and 1 Samuel (it’s where my name comes from!), and Chronicles.