Spending much of his time at the Carnegie Library in Waukegan, Bradbury delved into the works of authors like H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, and Edgar Allan Poe. He admired writers such as Katherine Anne Porter, Edith Wharton, and Jessamyn West, while also being captivated by the writings of Edgar Rice Burroughs, particularly the John Carter of Mars series. His passion for literature extended to his love for illustration and cartooning, often drawing his own Sunday panels and writing out radio show scripts from memory.