Yes, you can make a quilted book. I did one from a Winnie the Pooh panel for my nephew. You can either make it the width of 2 "pages" and stitch down the center line as your spine, or I've also seen people put grommets in & secure the quilted pages together with binder rings.
As for first-time tools & supplies to see if you like quilting:
45mm rotary cutter (Olfa)
18x24" or larger cutting mat
3.5x24" or 6x24" acrylic ruler
size 80/12 Microtex machine needles (Schmetz)
50wt thread for piecing (med grey for dark colors & light ivory for paler colors) (Aurifil or Gutermann)
50wt thread for quilting in a color that mostly matches your top (Aurifil)
Warm & Natural batting is easy to quilt & fairly inexpensive
Small scissors (Gingher epaulette scissors) to clip threads
Either starch (Sta-Flo) or sizing (Best Press)
Size 2 curved safety pins for basting (or you can glue baste with Elmer's Washable glue or Spray Baste)
-for a 65x65" quilt, I need 500-600 pins
straight pins (Clover silk pins)
Walking Foot to quilt straight lines on your quilt once it's layered together
There are tons of other little toys that are fun to have, but I tried to just focus on the bare basics until you see if you love quilting. The brands I put in parentheses are the ones I use. Other than Aurifil, I certainly don't claim any of them are the best, just what I like. Feel free to ask more questions as you move through the process of making your quilt.
Good luck & happy quilting!
Bree