Before you read a book of the Bible it is quite helpful to get a little background of that book. This is especially a great idea for the Old Testament prophesy books (to give you an idea which historical era the prophet was writing to) and for the 21 epistles (letters) in the New Testament (since they are written to various audiences and for various reasons.) Reading an introduction to a book of the Bible before you read that book will greatly enhance your reading of the Bible.
If you have a study Bible, there will be an introduction to each book of the Bible which will tell you things like the author, when that book was written, the audience, Key Scriptures, Key Themes, and an outline of the book. I have 3 study Bibles and the introductions are informative, but somewhat dry and boring.
There are reference books that have information about each book of the Bible. These books give you the big picture of each book – themes, cultural background, historical background, maps, pictures,… I have 3 of the most popular ones and I like each of them. But my favorite is The Complete Guide to the Bible by Stephen M. Miller, copyright 2007 (affiliate link*), published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. This one has the book-by-book background and explanations, fascinating details on Bible times, and beautiful pictures. Several pages per book of the Bible. The author has a sense of humor and it reads like a book.
Honestly, I love this book and use it quite frequently! It is something you want for your own Bible study and it would make a great gift for someone else.
To see the other two books of the Bible reference books I own check out Something to Have for Your Library dated November 28, 2015.
* PassiontoKnowMore is an affiliate of ChristianBook and that means if you purchase the book or anything through the link on this page or the links on any pages of PassiontoKnowMore, I receive a small portion of the sale. It helps to offset the cost of the site. Christianbook charges minimal shipping, but the prices are so low on the books and other products that it often comes out a better deal. And you usually receive the products in a couple days.