the old law books near the beginning (Leviticus, Numbers) are easy to get bogged down in and don't really add much for a first time reader.

Great point. Reading it from genesis to revelations is not the best way to start and those law books and the genealogies and the cubit measurements all near the start puts many people off. Those can wait, if it means reading more of it, read other books first.

Start with Mathew or Luke imo, they have more of Jesus’s teachings compared to Mark. John gives a more literary and mystical take compared to the other 3, the synoptic gospels, go for that next.