For the first five minutes, I’m fidgety. Thinking about emails. Planning what’s for dinner. Plus, there’s that horrible headline I saw earlier. My mind is pulled from the page, into the past and future, with niggles, worries, to-dos. But gradually, words sink in. Each sentence moves me from a state of settling to something more like seeping (in the sense of brewing tea). By minute ten, I’m under.

This happens most weeks at Page Against the Machine, our quiet reading hour at the Book Hive. Every Wednesday, we invite people travelling home from work to stop in and read for sixty minutes. Phones off, glass of wine, quiet music. Just people, and books.

But this hour is about more than books. It’s about focus, connection — to the books in our hands but also to ourselves, and the people around us. As I read, my mind quietens. I can feel it realigning to a different timeframe; almost a secret one. A timeframe that isn’t governed by calendars or meetings, that isn’t interrupted by notifications, news and the latest products, that doesn’t feature bombardment and multitasking as default. My brain lets go of that, attunes to a pace more like the local tide timetable, the sunspot moving gently across the carpet, my own breath.

This isn’t stopping. It’s not romantic or calm (and it definitely isn’t cosy). It’s exhilarating, rebellious. In an economy of attention, defining your own timeframe is taboo. Refusing to be distracted and duped, and instead to read and think, is powerful. Sometimes, I look up from my book and observe other readers. Most are glued to the page, others stare into space. Smiling. Or frowning. Or wearing an expression I can’t pin down. Modern life would like to label this ‘passive’, or ‘wasting time’. But I know all of them are mulling, reflecting, speculating, really reading — a state that’s actively, positively challenging and enriching them.

We created Page Against The Machine in 2017 in response to research. 67% of UK adults would like to read more, particularly in times of anxiety or illness. But the demands and distractions of hectic lifestyles get in the way. The reason people want to read (respite from busy, stressful lives), is the reason they can’t (their lives are too busy and stressful).

The event encourages us to think about reading as a practice. Instead of snatching a few lines before bed or on your commute, reading can be something you commit regular time to — like putting an hour aside for the gym, yoga or meditation.

Almost a decade on, Page Against the Machine is stronger than ever. The event has been replicated nationwide and around the globe. This year — during the National Year of Reading — we’re running an outdoor version as part of the City of Literature weekend at Norwich & Norfolk Festival, in the beautiful cathedral cloisters. Everyone is invited.

Ready to experience time on your own terms? You don’t need a hack, magic or another app — just pick up a book. Viva the reading revolution!