Thank you for allowing us to answer your question! Normally you can renew items you have checked out. We explain under Borrowing on our website: "Renewable materials can be renewed four times after the original checkout unless they are on hold for another patron." We don't permit renewals on items with holds so that the patron who wishes to read the book in question isn't kept waiting for it too long. We're glad you are enjoying the book you have checked out--our selectors try to choose materials that are well-reviewed and appealing to our residents.