Checking the Chinese almanac to scope out each day's fortune forecast has become a new trend not just among Chinese but some Americans too, thanks to an English-language pocket version created by the husband-and-wife team of Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee.

Where there is Chinese, there is an almanac, Smith said, and the popularity of their Pocket Chinese Almanac: Ancient Wisdoms for a Modern World in the US is beyond his imagination.

"Even in America, with my travel agent," he said. "I was trying to find the best day to travel, by which I meant the day with cheapest flight and the cheapest hotel. They used the almanac and told me which day was the best day."

"Many of his clients in New York want to know what day is good to travel," he added.

Lee describes herself as a recovering pianist and an active interpreter and translator. Smith writes about Asian arts and culture for the Financial Times and other publications.

The couple divides their time between Hong Kong and New York and have been advisors on a wide array of cultural projects, including David Henry Hwang's bilingual Broadway comedy Chinglish and Kung Fu, a musical based on the life of Bruce Lee.

They set their wedding date based on the almanac, not only for the best day but also for the best time and place in Hong Kong 10 years ago.

"That was the first time Joanna had really taken the almanac in a serious way," Smith recalled.

Before they married, Lee had a habit of putting "good" or "bad" on Facebook for each week based on the Chinese almanac.