Dru Sampson has a slight fear of having to read long biblical names in front of strangers.

“Some of those Old Testament names – hmm …” Sampson says. “I might try to read over Genesis just to be safe.”

Sampson will be among more than 100 volunteers who will read through the Bible cover-to-cover next week inside Signs of Life, the art gallery and bookstore at 722 Mass.

The event is scheduled to coincide with the days of the year with the most sunlight.

“With the long days of summer, it’s just kind of relating that to the spiritual light of the Bible,” says Clay Belcher, Signs of Life owner. “We think it might be a nice blessing to the community, to present this Bible reading.”

The reading will go from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Belcher thinks the last words of Revelations will be uttered sometime on Saturday, since recorded versions of the Bible typically last 77 to 80 hours.

As of Wednesday, Belcher had filled 100 of the 150 one-hour reading slots. Similar marathon readings have occurred in Lawrence recently with Dante’s “Inferno,” “Ulysses” and “Moby Dick.”

“Reading it cover to cover, you get the full sweep of biblical history,” Belcher says. “You get the whole story other than bits and pieces on Sunday mornings. The Bible is full of surprises. I’ve read through it a dozen times, and every time I say, ‘I didn’t remember that was in there.'”

Nancy Yacher, who signed up to read Monday, is a recently retired English faculty member at KU. She says the Bible “still is the most fascinating book to me,” and she says it’s meant to be read aloud.

“It was oral tradition to begin with,” says Yacher, who attends St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center. “It was at first spoken and written to be spoken. I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Sampson, a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, 1011 Vt., has signed up to read at 1 p.m. on Monday, so she’s assured passages from an early Old Testament book. She’s not sure how many people will be there to listen, but it’s more a personal affirmation.

“I don’t know if it’s a spectator sport, if you will,” she says. “I think it is a representation that spirituality and Christianity, for me, is an everyday part of life, ongoing from beginning to end.”