Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter) is listed as one of "1001 books you must read before you die," but calling this 10-page fairy tale from the 9th or 10th century CE a book is quite a stretch. What it is, however, is a fun and often hilarious story about Princess Kaguya, a beautiful girl found inside a bamboo shoot, who sends five knights on difficult mission to complete in order to win her heart.