I know....I would like to see Book still be alive, but I watched the deleted scenes/special features and at one point when Mal is telling everyone to get Serenity up and running like a reaver ship he actually tells them to tie Book's body to the front of the ship with the rest of the bodies as a place of honor.
I don't know if that was a goof type scene or too deep to put in the movie.
That wasn't part of the plot. That was just Nathan Fillion being goofy.
I think he DID say that in the movie. That's why they all looked at him like he'd lost his mind!!