bible in a year

I decided that I wanted to try to read the Bible in a year after reading a few blogs whose authors are doing that. I downloaded a schedule and am a little behind, but will hopefully catch up within the week. The schedule I'm on had me in Genesis 1-11 first, then to Job, then I'll go back to Genesis once I finish Job. I haven't had enough time to get caught up yet because of spending more time than expected studying Korean lately, so I've just been doing morning reading mostly.

A few of the most striking thoughts to me so far: (please comment if you have any thoughts!)

• Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness"- I know this is a well-known, well-quoted verse, but what do you think it really means? I've used it several times in talking about seeing ourselves as God sees us, but it's still so striking. How are we like God? Whatever it means, it's an awesome thought.
• Job 1:21 "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."-Wow. That's completely incredible. He's just had everything taken away from him and he can still bless God's name.
• Job 2:12-13 - His friends came to show him sympathy and comfort him. They didn't recognize him from a distance, they raised their voices and wept. They sat with him for seven days and nights without speaking, because they saw that his suffering was so great. I don't know anyone under any circumstances who would actually spend a whole week without talking. There's definitely something to be said for friends like that, even though they later rip into him with their long-winded advice sermons.
• Job 9:23 "When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent." - I'm having a hard time with this one. I can't imagine God really mocking at the calamity of the innocent, or even the guilty. Can our perfect God mock? Isn't He love? Even when He brings wrath, surely He's not mocking?
• Job 12:2 "No doubt you are the people and wisdom will die with you." - Job's sarcasm just makes me laugh there.

One thing I'm wondering as I read Job is how do his friends comments fit in the scripture? Are their words inspired? I believe that scripture is inerrant and inspired. Does that mean that Job's friends were inspired to say these things to Job so that they could be recorded? They keep pointing the finger at Job, but the book only tells us that Job was blameless and upright, that he feared God and ran from evil (1:8). Of course, no one is innocent, so even if he's blameless, he's not perfect. So, what are we meant to learn from Job's friends? Why is so much space given to their rants?