Oh, while we're on this topic, is there a book I could read or listen to that goes into depth about Middle Eastern history?
I take this to mean history since/immediately before Muhammad. When it comes to what you want out of a general survey: concision, depth, a relatively low number of books -I'm afraid you're going to have to pick two of those three characteristics and commit to them.
On the formative period of Islam, Robert Hoyland's
In God's Path is the most recent, readable, and concise representation of where current scholarship is. The first chapter situates the Arabian Peninsula in its 7th century geopolitical context, the last I think just touches on the Abbasid Caliphate, so the book as a whole is concerned with the period between roughly 400-800 CE. It's a great introductory survey, I cannot recommend it enough.
Hugh Kennedy's
The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates pairs really well with the above. It's larger in scope (~600-1300) and far more concerned with internal administrative issues faced by the first three major Caliphates. Kennedy is enamored with lineage: there are pages and pages of family trees that help visualize the logic of politicking in early Islam. It's also dry; if style is an issue for you, you might be turned off. There is an absolute wealth of value in those dry pages though, I promise.
I'm worse on modern surveys. Gelvin's
The Modern Middle East and William Cleveland's
A History of the Modern Middle East seem to be the most popular. These are both literal textbooks, so caveat emptor. Gelvin's is shorter, more conversational in tone and the reviews I've seen glow about it. It's a little pricey but not so much so that it'll break the bank. Cleveland's is dry, but is a longrunner so you know the quality's straight.
