What to do in Madison this week: Book Club Café, Groove Roulette, and more Isthmus Picks

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Book Club Café, Tuesday, May 16, Central Library, 7 p.m.: This annual event hosted by the Madison Public Library Foundation invites area book club members (and all lovers of reading and libraries) to gather for refreshments, a raffle, and an author talk. Maggie Ginsberg, a senior editor at Madison Magazine and freelance contributor to many other publications (including Isthmus), will discuss her debut novel, Still True. Tickets and more information about Book Club Café can be found at madisonpubliclibrary.org.

Great Wisconsin Birdathon, through June 15, anywhere: Ready, set, bird! The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin invites Wisconsin bird fanatics to participate in its annual fundraiser, The Great Wisconsin Birdathon. It's a very choose-your-own-adventure style activity for bird watchers of any level, solo or in a team, to pick a time and spot as many bird species as possible, with fundraising or donations by participants encouraged. The money raised goes to the Natural Resources Foundation’s Bird Protection Fund. Find more info and register at wisconservation.org.

Shania Twain, Tuesday, May 16, Kohl Center, 7:30 p.m.: Man, I feel like…going to see Shania Twain at the Kohl Center. The country artist is playing a ton of dates all across Canada and the United States on a world tour behind the Queen of Me album; you can get up close and personal, too, with a VIP package that includes a photo op, an appearance onstage with the star during a song, drinks, merch and…a parking space. Even if you come by bike and sit in the nosebleeds, expect high-energy dance numbers, cowboy hats, thigh-high boots, and Twain’s get-outta-my-way vocals. Country singer/songwriter Hailey Whitters opens. Tickets here.

Disney's The Lion King, through May 28, Overture Center, Overture Hall: “Hakuna Matata” is not perhaps the most apropos catchphrase for our current national mood, but another sentiment from The Lion King — “We are all connected in the great circle of life” — is as relevant as ever. This musical will pull kids in with its catchy songs, but the elaborately costumed, oversized animals — part puppet, part dancer — energize this stirring tale of life and loss in Africa for everyone. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 & 6:30 p.m. Sunday, plus 1 p.m., May 18. Tickets at tickets.overture.org.

Jesse Terry, Wednesday, May 17, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: When singer-songwriter Jesse Terry — whose song “Strangers in Our Town” can be heard on the Netflix drama Virgin River — became a parent, he wrote a song about his daughter, Lily, called “If I Were the Moon." Based on audience reactions, he adapted the lyrics into a children’s book of the same name that was published in March. Now Terry is on tour promoting the book, the song and the album on which it appears (When We Wander). He's played gigs ranging from Bonnaroo to the Philadelphia Folk Festival, not slotting neatly into any specific genre. Jeff Burkhart, a Madison-based singer-songwriter who fronted The Dirty Shirts, will open. Tickets here.

Mary Bergin, Thursday, May 18, Muskellounge and Sporting Club, 3:30-6:30 p.m.: Nobody knows Wisconsin like journalist Mary Bergin, who has been exploring the backroads of the state for decades looking for the quirky, the tasty, the beautiful and the one-of-a-kind for her travel writing. Her new book focuses on places overlooked because of their size. A launch party for Small-Town Wisconsin: Fun, Surprising and Exceptional Road Trips will take place Thursday, May 18, at The Muskie, and a second book signing June 24 at Fromagination, 12 S. Carroll St. from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cork ‘n Bottle String Band, Thursday, May 18, Full Mile Beer Company, Sun Prairie, 6 p.m.: This bluegrass band delighted listeners during a long-running residency at long-lost Ken's Bar, just off the Capitol Square. Ken’s is only a memory (perhaps not the right word for some of us, thanks to copious pints), but happily Cork ‘n Bottle String Band is still trucking more than a quarter-century after forming. They’re still as fun as ever, and Full Mile’s brews are also delightful.

Groove Roulette, Thursday, May 18, Bur Oak. 7 p.m.: A music series bringing together four players for a one-night-only band, Groove Roulette returns with its first show in more than a year — and triples the fun by adding two more performers: Chicago blues-jam-rock fusionists Covington Groove, and memorably jazzy folk by Madison artist carisa. The Groove Roulette improvisers for the night will be Aaron Metz (bassist in Maestranza), Kyle Rightley (guitarist in The Civil Engineers), Victor Reid (drummer and leader of Milwaukee funk band V.I.P.), and Samuel Wyatt (keys, of Covington Groove). Tickets at seetickets.us.

Two Dykes and a Mic, Thursday, May 18, Comedy on State, 7:30 p.m.: Comedians Rachel Scanlon and McKenzie Goodwin are the “Two Dykes and a Mic” — BFFs and podcasters who dissect culture and dating via bits like the ever-popular “Ask a Dyke.” Recent topics have included why it’s unwise to let a straight person cut your hair and how TSwift’s “Eras” tour is gay. Learn more at this live performance. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.

Out In This World, May 18-20, Overture Center-Promenade Hall: This popular recurring event from Forward Theatre Co. presents 12 original dramatic monologues, here loosely grouped on the theme of travel. Among the writers are former Dane County Supv. Carousel Bayrd and Milwaukee poet Deshawn McKinney. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets at tickets.overture.org.

‘Run it Up’ album release, Thursday, May 18, High Noon Saloon, 9 p.m.: No Disguise Music celebrates the release of a new compilation album, Run it Up, with this showcase featuring label artists and others. Get a crash course in the regional hip-hop scene with sets from rising artists Flame The Ruler, Question, 6wisco, Deezy Bandito, Plug Tawk, T.O. and Band Up Clutch, along with DJ Spade. Check out music at nodisguise.com and find tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.