History/Society:

Title: Arabian Sands    
Author: Wilfred Thesiger  
Year: 1983  

Title: 100 Myths About the Middle East     
Author: Fred Halliday    
Year: 2005   

Title: A History of the Modern Middle East
Author: William L. Cleveland
Year: 2004

Title: The History of Saudi Arabia    
Author: Alexei Vassiliev  
Year: 2000 

Title: If Olaya Street Could Talk
Author: John Paul Jones
Year: 2007

Title: Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia
Author: Robert Lacey
Year: 2010 (reprint)

Title: Living Behind Walls    
Author: Bruce M. Petty  
Year: 2008  

Title: Prophets and Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present
Author: Mark Weston
Year: 2008

Title: What Every American Should Know About the Middle East  
Author: Melissa Rossi
Year: 2008

Religion:

Title: Al-Qur'an: A Contemporary Translation
Author: Ahmed Ali (Translator; text is both Arabic and English)
Year: 2001

Title: Islam: A Short History
Author: Karen Armstrong
Year: 2002

Title: Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization
Author: Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Year: 2002

Title: No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
Author: Reza Aslan
Year: 2006

Women's Stories:

Title: Girls of Riyadh (A Novel)    
Author: Rajaa Alsanea and Marilyn Booth  
Year: 2008   

Title: In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom    
Author: Qanta Ahmed    
Year: 2008    

Title: Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Year: 1995

Title: Princess
Author: Jean Sasson
Year: 2001

Title: Princess Sultana's Daughters
Author: Jean Sasson
Year: 2001

Travel/Living:

Title: Abu Dhabi Complete Residents' Guide
Author: Explorer Publishing
Year: 2011

Title: Expat Guide to Living and Working in Saudi Arabia (Expat Arrivals) (Kindle Edition)
Author: Expat Arrivals
Year: 2012

Title: Living and Working in the Gulf States & Saudi Arabia (Kindle Edition)
Author: Graeme Chesters and Bob Hughes
Year: 2011

Title: Lonely Planet Oman UAE and the Arabian Peninsula (Multi Country Travel Guide)
Author: Jenny Walker, Stuart Butler, Andrea Schulte-Peevers, Iain Shearer
Year: 2010

Title: Qatar Complete Residents' Guide
Author: Explorer Publishing
Year: 2012

Title: Time Out Dubai: Abu Dhabi and the UAE (Time Out Guides)
Author: Editors of Time Out
Year: 2009

Cooking:

Title: The Complete Middle East Cookbook
Author: Tess Mallos
Year: 2007

Title: Middle Eastern Cookbook
Author: Maria Khalife
Year: 2007

Conflict in the Middle East:

Title: The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East
Author: Robert Fisk
Year: 2007

Title: The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
Author: John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
Year: 2008

Title: The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Author: Ilan Pappe
Year: 2007

Also see:

• Movies About the Middle East