The book's reusable? I could have sworn it disappeared for me when I used it with Scarlet...
Anyway, while it's ok that Brandon is an optional side-quest, imho, it would still be nice if he worked reliably (

), which doesn't seem to be the case for everyone.
Placing one or two hints (they don't need to be too obvious) for the book in the village might be a good idea, too.